Turning-Points
by ArwynandCole
Summary: "All our paths should meander. If they remain straight, we miss opportunities and are stagnant." Cole finds his soulmate as Sensei Wu reveals the Green Ninja.(OC Arwyn) Prequel to "Body Swap" and "Rescue Me". Rated T for language, violence, suggestive situations.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own Ninjago, just Arwyn, my Green Ninja. Read my profile to see how I think differently and have used my imagination (use yours). This is the beginning of her story. ****This is a story of developing relationships, no tale of action.** "Body Swap" is some months after this, "Rescue Me" is after the 'final battle'. Her story begins after the collection of the four fang blades, but I expand the time between that and when Pythor stole them all. If ya hate, don't read.

**Enjoy!**

**Sensei Wu's POV

Nya and I stood on the sidewalk outside of a small clinic watching the people walking by going to their jobs, classes, or the market. Ninjago City was bustling at nearly eight o'clock in the morning, but we were just waiting, silently watching.

I had asked Nya to accompany me this morning for an important errand. When she had respectfully asked what I was planning, I had said only that it was something I had been waiting to do for a long time. She had no more questions after that. Nya was very good at patiently waiting for me to reveal information. That was one of the reasons I always chose to have her come with me on errands and trips. She was also intelligent, organized, vibrant, and easy to look at.

As we waited near the clinic, I scanned the crowd of people walking this way and that. Finally, a car drove into the small lot next to the building and, presently, out stepped its driver; a pretty, slender young woman in purple scrubs with olive skin and wavy, shoulder-length, black hair. Her face was so familiar to me, one I had seen in dreams a thousand times before, and my heart raced in my chest. I had been waiting so long.

I motioned to Nya to stay where she was and approached the young woman who was inserting her key into the lock of the clinic door. She noticed me out of the corner of her eye as I drew near, and it startled her a tad so that she stepped back a bit and regarded me with wariness.

"Pardon me, miss," I began, bowing before her, successfully suppressing any anxiety I felt. "I am Sensei Wu, and I would like to speak to you about a very important matter. You are Arwyn, are you not?"

She seemed very surprised that I knew her name, but composed herself quickly. Smiling at me and bowing while looking me in the face she said, "Yes, I'm Arwyn, the nurse here. Is there something I can do for you? I really need to get inside before I'm late for work."

"I will not keep you long," I assured her in a gentle tone. Her eyes darted over my shoulder to Nya whom I knew was standing nearby being as discreet as possible. I sensed with amusement that she thought the young woman in red might be my caretaker.

"A powerful force has drawn me to you," I continued, getting straight down to business. "One that tells me you are very important to the future of Ninjago. A great evil threatens its peace, and I wish to speak with you regarding your role in the fight against it." Perhaps I should have eased into that last part, for one eyebrow twitched slightly before she took a small step away from me, never dropping her benevolent smile.

"Um, I'm not sure I can help you there, but maybe you'd like to get an appointment with our doctor?" she responded helpfully.

"No, thank you," I told her. I knew she might next be offering me a room in the nearest psychiatric facility, but I had to finish this. "It would please me greatly if you would accept an invitation to come to my home and dojo for dinner this evening so that I may speak with you at length regarding what I just told you."

Sizing me up, and perhaps determining that I was harmless, Arwyn seemed to decide to humor me. "That is very generous of you, and it might be possible, since I don't teach my self-defense class tonight, but I can't promise anything right now. I'll need to check my calendar first."

I chose to ignore that last part. "Very good, then," I said firmly, tapping the butt of my bamboo staff on the sidewalk. "I will send one of my students to escort you to our dojo on the ship _Destiny's Bounty_. He will arrive this afternoon to collect you."

She seemed somewhat unsure of what had just transpired, so I quickly bowed and said, "Good day," before she could regroup and protest. Automatically returning the respectful motion, she answered, "Um, okay. You, too," as I turned back towards Nya and began to stride down the sidewalk.

I noticed Nya nod her head in Arwyn's direction, but I did not look back. A wave of happiness and relief washed over me, and I relaxed. The hard part was done; I had finally found her and made contact. Now to get her to the _Bounty_.

Nya followed me down the sidewalk for a short piece before quickening her step to walk alongside me. "Um, just who was that, Sensei?" she asked hesitantly.

I could understand her curiosity, but I was not yet ready to divulge any other information. "A dinner guest," I answered simply. "When we get back home, please let Zane know that I would like him to cook tonight even if it is not his turn. Now let's find a coffee shop for tea before we head back to the ship, shall we?" Nya thoughtfully nodded. Sometimes it's good to just be humored.

**Cole's POV

After checking to make certain that everything was clear, I silently dropped from the attic through the suspended ceiling into the hallway of the clinic. I didn't relish dealing with the receptionist up front, and the back door was inconveniently locked, so I thought I'd take my chances with the attic vent and enter that way. So simple, a ninja could do it.

Looking around, I didn't see much action in the small building, but I could hear voices and printers on the far side. I noticed a janitorial closet and quietly opened the door and stashed my golden scythe there. Probably didn't need to carry that around in here. I had my katana, anyway. Walking down the hallway, I set out to find my quarry.

The first couple of doors were to empty offices, but the third was my jackpot. Peering through the open door, I saw the object of my quest sitting at her desk, charting. Purple scrubs, black, wavy hair, trim build. She was just as Sensei Wu had described her, except that she had her head down over her paperwork, so I couldn't see her face. I cleared my throat quietly and said. "Are you Arwyn?"

Lifting her head, chocolate-brown eyes met mine for a split-second before she shoved her chair back, leapt to her feet, and grabbed scissors from a desk drawer, brandishing the points at me in a defensive pose.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?" she cried, probably trying to sound commanding, but actually seeming a little freaked out. I guess I alarmed her.

I raised my eyebrows at the sight of the attractive young woman pointing scissors at _me_, the Master of Earth. _What does she think she can do with _those_? Cut my hair?_ "Wha…?" I started, then I remembered what I must look like. "Oh, sorry."

I reached up and removed my mask and hooded helmet, running a hand through my thick, black hair to tame it a little and get it away from my eyes. "I'm Cole," I said, giving her a little smile. "Sensei Wu sent me to escort you to the _Bounty_ for supper." _And we're gonna skip the particulars about my point of entry._

She didn't respond for a moment, just stared at me with a kind of far-away look, while I stared back at rich, dark eyes, high cheekbones, soft lips…She suddenly shook her head slightly and tucked her shoulder-length hair away from the left side of her face. Replacing the dreamy look with a scowl, she asked, "What the heck _are_ you?"

I looked down at my usual black uniform with silver and leather armor, arm and leg wraps, and tabi boots. It seemed pretty obvious to me. "A…ninja." Hadn't she heard about us around town?

Still holding the scissors threateningly, Arwyn, or I supposed she was Arwyn, she hadn't actually acknowledged that, spoke with annoyance in her voice. "Well, you're a little early for supper. I don't get off work until four thirty. Maybe you should come back in about two hours."

_O-kaay…got a little 'tude, eh?_ Relaxing my stance in the doorway, I said patiently with a little grin, "No, thanks. I think I'll stay here and wait for you." _And enjoy the view_.

She frowned with a doubtful look. "Why? You're going to be really bored hanging around here."

I kinda doubted that. "I'm pretty good at waiting. I'll just be doing what Sensei sent me to do."

"Which would be…?"

I leaned against the doorjamb and crossed my arms over my chest before stating confidently, "Guarding you with my life."

Seeming surprised at my response, Arwyn stammered, "W-why would he tell you to do that?"

"I guess he thinks you're pretty important," I said, shrugging vaguely.

"For what reason?"

"He didn't elaborate." _He never does._ "He just told me to get over here and bring you back safely. Which I intend to do," I added with determination.

Looking me in the eye challengingly, she relaxed with the scissors, and asked, "What if I refuse to go?"

_Did she actually just say that? _I cocked an eyebrow in mock warning and tried to keep a straight face. "Umm…I have been known to use any means necessary to complete a mission." However, I really didn't want this to turn into a kidnapping.

Probably thinking I couldn't hear her, she muttered, "I'd like to see you try," as she turned to place the scissors back in the drawer. It was all I could do not to laugh at her bravado, but I just smirked, then had to cover it promptly when she turned back to face me.

"If you insist on staying, I suppose you can have a seat here in my office, but I have work to do, so don't expect to be entertained," she informed me curtly while gathering a few charts from her desk.

I settled into the proffered chair in the corner, stretching my legs out in front of me and crossing them at the ankles. "That's fine. And thanks for your hospitality," I said with a touch of sarcasm. "But, I have plenty to mull over while I wait." _Like what role Sensei has in mind for my lovely, but very guarded, would-be attacker. Surely he doesn't think she could possibly be…nah. … Or maybe he does._

**A/N: Please review if you liked. And if you haven't read "Body Swap", do so, I think it was kinda cute and funny! "Rescue Me" is adventure/romance. Have a good one!**_  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own Ninjago, only my OC. Hope you enjoy the story!**

*Arwyn's POV

Glancing out of the corner of my eye at the ebony-clad ninja with his long, powerful-looking legs stretched out in front of him, I tried to ignore him and headed out of the office into the hallway. _OMG, he is gorgeous!_ I thought.

But then I caught myself. Sure, he had a smooth, handsome face, olive complexion, slightly roman nose, greenish-grey eyes, and heavy eyebrows. Sure, he had a sensual smile and a confident, slightly husky voice. And, sure, he was tall and muscular, in armor and a uniform, but he was probably also an arrogant, egotistical womanizer, or some kind of jerk like that.

I had to stop thinking about him and finish my work. I had already made a fool of myself by staring at him when he took off his mask and hood. At least I was much less freaked out after that, and I realized then that the elderly Sensei Wu wasn't senile or delusional. Unless the watchful man in my office was part of a joke.

Somehow I made it through the last two hours, and finally decided to go ahead and entertain myself for the evening by going to supper with the ninja. I didn't get the sense that they were a dangerous cult or anything, so why not? I hoped I wasn't wrong about that, anyway.

After gathering my things and finally daring to speak to Cole for the first time in two hours, we headed to the exit. He stopped to open the janitorial closet and withdrew a large, golden farming implement. "What in the world is that?" I asked.

"It's called a scythe," he answered. "And more. You'll see," he finished cryptically. Once we got into the parking lot, he glanced at me and casually threw the scythe forward into the open space. Before it hit the ground, a large, bright light flashed, then in its place was a hulking, four-wheeled vehicle he announced was the "Tread Assault".

I know it wasn't very attractive, but I couldn't help my gaping mouth. "Where did this thing come from?" I squeaked out.

He laughed and explained, "It's part of the power of the golden weapon. We'll talk more about it later. Let me help you into it." He held out his hands to assist me up onto the ledge, but I suddenly realized I had let my guard down and brought the shield back up. "No, thanks. I can do this myself," I said, rejecting his offer and climbing fairly nimbly up to sit in the back of the cockpit.

Cole shrugged, then leapt from the ground to the cockpit edge, executing a perfect forward flip and landing gracefully with a smug look on his face. _Showoff_. I looked away and rolled my eyes, but had to admit that his agility only made him hotter.

The ride to the _Bounty_ was uncomfortably quiet. Cole didn't say much, maybe because he was letting me process everything, or maybe because he thought I was bitchy, which I really didn't mean to be. I was silent the whole way, also, since my apprehension was growing as each mile passed.

Staring out at the passing desert scenery, I wondered what in the world I was doing riding in a magical vehicle with a ninja I had just met, heading to a flying ship Cole said was docked a couple of hundred feet in the air over the desert outside of Ninjago City to meet with an elderly Japanese man about stopping evil in Ninjago_. _

_Whaaat?! I'm either stupid or unconscious, _I thought as the ship came into sight. I knew I probably should have told someone I was doing this, but they doubtless would have tried to talk me out of it.

Once we drove up to the flying ship's anchor-and it _was_ flying, or at least hovering!-, Cole called someone on his comlink thingy and asked them to send the cargo lifter down. I was appreciating that since I couldn't see any other way up except the anchor's chain, which didn't seem like the most efficient way to board. Although it would deter some unwelcome guests.

Turning in his seat, Cole held out his right hand to me, saying, "Give me your hand. I'm gonna change the Tread Assault back."

I looked at him cautiously and started to ask why, but thought better of it and slipped my left hand into his. His strong, warm fingers wrapped around mine securely, sending a tingle up my back to my scalp. They weren't soft, you could tell he was used to handling tools or weapons, but his nails were well-kept, and they were hands you didn't mind touching…or having touch you….

I was snapped out of my reverie when I realized the vehicle seat was no longer under me, and I was dropping toward the sandy ground. I gasped a little and threw out my right arm for balance, surprisingly landing squarely on my feet…with Cole's left arm wrapped around my waist, his right hand still holding mine as though we were dancing. I stood stock still for a moment, leaning against his muscular chest and abdomen, while he looked down at me, smiling.

Feeling his warmth through my thin scrubs, I hastily pulled my hand from his, pushed against his chest, and took a quick step away from him with a mumbled "thank you" while blushing. The ninja in black released me without a comment, though he kept the annoying grin, and reached for the cargo lifter as it neared the ground. Letting it settle in the sand, he wordlessly opened the small gate and politely motioned for me to enter it.

Looking up as Cole closed the gate behind him, I saw a head disappear over the railing. I presumed it was whomever was operating the lifter. "Don't be alarmed by all of the attention you're about to get," Cole informed me, probably having seen the same head. "We don't get a lot of visitors, and everybody's pretty nosy, like any family."

"Thanks for the warning," I muttered since I'm not a really outgoing person. It raised my anxiety level to think that I was about to meet a bunch of people I didn't know who would be very interested in why I'm here when _I _wasn't even sure about that. I felt like I was on display as the cargo lifter rose up and over the railing of the ship, and I saw a multi-colored group standing nearby, eyeing us curiously.

When the lifter was on the deck, a ninja in white stepped forward and opened the gate for us to exit, bowing slightly as he did so. After walking out onto the deck, I returned the bow with a smile, saying, "Thank you." Bowing once again with a flourish, he answered, "You are most welcome, lovely lady."

Glancing nervously at Cole, I noticed an odd expression on his face as he took in the chivalrous greeting, but when he caught my look he smiled warmly. "Let me introduce everyone, " he started. "We are the elemental Masters of Spinjitzu. The gallant one in white is Zane, Master of Ice. In red we have the snarky one, Kai, Master of Fire. Jay is the blue one, AKA Sparky, Master of Lightning. I am the Master of Earth, and the long-suffering leader of these three." The ninja were all handsome, looked to be in their early twenties and offered me welcoming smiles and greetings, but shot annoyed looks Cole's way as he finished up with their introductions.

The young woman in red whom I had seen earlier in the morning was standing beside the blue ninja. "This is Nya, Kai's sister, and our all-around support system," Cole continued. She gave me a bright smile and nodded as Jay put an affectionate arm around her shoulders. "It's nice to meet you again," she said.

"And this little guy is Lloyd, the ship's mascot and Sensei Wu's nephew," Cole finished up with a lop-sided grin at a young, tow-headed boy of about ten years who had stood with a shy smile by Nya, but grew irate at the title given by the ninja leader. "I am NOT the mascot!" he defended hotly. Cole snorted with amusement and tousled the boy's hair, ticking him off more.

Gesturing to me, he announced, "This is Arwyn, our guest for supper tonight, which I'm sure is going to be great, since Zane cooked." The white ninja bowed again with a look of pride. The ninja in red slightly raised a hand and began to voice a comment, but Cole held his palm up and said quickly, "Hold your questions for later. I need to get her to Sensei Wu ASAP, " and whisked me toward a stairway and below deck to a shadowy hallway.

While he knocked on the door to Sensei Wu's quarters, I took a deep breath, trying to quell the nervous feeling rising rapidly in my abdomen. I caught the faint scent of a woodsy incense and felt strangely calmer. After receiving permission to enter, we stepped into the sparsely-furnished and dimly-lit room. Serenely sitting in seiza on a tatami mat with his eyes closed was Sensei Wu. Cole bowed low. "Begging your pardon, Sensei, I have returned with Arwyn."

The elderly man opened his eyes and looked up at me, smiling as though he was truly happy to see me, sort of like when I visit my parents. "Please sit," he requested. "You may go, Cole," he added without looking at the younger man. Cole hesitated almost imperceptibly, then bowed low, replying, "Yes, Sensei," before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind him.

Pouring a steaming cup of tea from a little blue teapot, Sensei Wu handed the cup to me and said, "Thank you for indulging me and accepting my invitation for dinner."

Sitting in seiza and taking the cup of apple-scented tea, I thanked him, then responded with a shrug, "Well, Cole made it kinda plain that I could come on my own or be brought here anyway."

Wu chuckled. "Cole is very responsible and dedicated to obeying me and doing his job well."

I nodded and sipped the hot tea, wondering when he was going to hit me with the big guns. I need not have wondered.

"Let me explain why I have brought you here…," Wu began, then proceeded to clue me in about everything from the First Spinjitzu Master to the prophecy of the Green Ninja and all there was in between.

As he went on and on, I grew more confused about why I was there. When he finally stopped, I just sat quietly for a minute, waiting for something else to happen, someone to yell "April fool!". But, no one did.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Sensei paused, then continued, "You are here because a powerful force emanates from you, one that tells me you are capable of controlling all of the elements, mastering spinjitzu, and conquering the evil threatening Ninjago. I believe that you are the Green Ninja, the greatest ninja, destined to defeat the dark lord." He paused a moment, then finished with, "I am offering you to join our team and fulfill your destiny."

_Seriously?_ Sitting there holding my teacup with both hands, I looked at the elderly gentleman like he had just said I was the new Dalai Lama or bigfoot. I couldn't even think of any way to respond to that. "Surely you have the wrong person?" I finally said with a small, humorless laugh.

"There is a way to show you and everyone else that I am correct," he answered assuredly, rising and pressing a button on an intercom near the door frame. Nya came on, and Wu told her to gather everyone and to bring them and the golden weapons to his quarters right away. He then sat again and poured himself another cup of tea, refreshing mine without asking.

I sat a moment in stunned silence before I burst out, "There's simply no way I could do all you think I can!"

"You do not yet know the full capacity of your true potential," stated Wu placidly.

"But-but, I have a job and…and responsibilities!" I protested.

"All our paths should meander. If they remain straight, we miss opportunities and are stagnant," he calmly countered.

Not sure what else to do, I jumped to my feet on the mat, ready to bolt, when a knock came from the door. Cole's now-familiar voice sounded through it. "Sensei? You called for us?"

Wu gave his permission for all to enter, including Lloyd, who pushed his way to the front of the perplexed group. They immediately began questioning their master about what was going on, but he quieted them with a raised, open palm. Cole walked over with a reassuring smile and stood to my left, as if anticipating that he may have to prevent an escape, but it could have been as a show of support.

Wu then instructed Nya to place the weapons case she carried on the table against the wall just a few feet to my right. Without further ado, he popped the clasps on the case, raised the lid, and stood back as the others looked curiously on.

The four weapons resting in the case were already glowing with a golden light, which I took to understand they did not usually do, since everyone sounded a little surprised by the sight. Within seconds, they were pulsating with a brighter light. But what totally freaked me out was when they sprang from the case and flew straight at me.

I did a duck-and-cover with my arms while letting out a cry of fright, squeezing my eyes closed as I fully expected to be hit by all the pointy objects. Frozen in that position for a moment, I realized quickly that there had been no impacts, and opened my eyes tentatively.

Surrounding me was a glowing green aura, and the four weapons, hanging suspended in the air. Beyond them were the shocked faces of the ninja clan, Cole's self-satisfied one, and Sensei Wu, who beamed with serene pride. "It appears that the Green Ninja has finally been disclosed," he stated with a small smile of satisfaction.

I couldn't make a sound.

*Cole's POV

_A-ha! I knew it! She's the Green Ninja! That explains why Sensei was so adamant earlier that I find her and stay with her once I got to the clinic. __**And**__ convince her to come back to the _Bounty_, no matter what I had to do. I'm __**really**__ glad that didn't involve physical restraint_.

I stood back a little from everyone and observed how all of them were handling this. When Arwyn had first been revealed, she had this deer-in-the-headlights look, turning to me and insisting there must be a mistake.

My first impulse was to reach out and hold her, comfort her, but I shook that off quickly! Where did that thought come from in the middle of the revelation of the Green Ninja?

Sensei Wu had then stepped between us and tried to convince her that there was no denying the fact of what she was, although he would not explain further. She still stood flabbergasted by the display of the golden weapons which were being returned to the case by Nya and Jay.

Kai seemed a little disappointed by the disclosure, but since he'd finally unlocked his true potential, I figured he'd get over not being the Green Ninja soon enough.

Lloyd appeared a little upset that someone had now been designated to defeat his father. I made a mental note to talk about it with him later.

Zane was congratulating Arwyn, which reminded me that it was past suppertime, and I was starving, so I herded everybody out of the small room, and we headed toward the dining area.

In the dining room, I seated Arwyn on Sensei Wu's right where he settled at the head of the long table, while I sat across from her on his left. She still looked somewhat disoriented and vulnerable, which was a different attitude than the one I'd dealt with earlier.

Back in the clinic parking lot, when she had proudly refused my offer of assistance into the Tread Assault, I had been a little put off by the rejection. That's why I pulled the stunt of dispelling the vehicle without warning her once we got to the _Bounty_. I was determined to get her to touch me in some small way.

I know it was a dirty trick, but it paid off when she ended up in my arms, one hand in mine, the other on my shoulder, looking up at me with wide, brown eyes, the wind blowing through her hair, her body pressed against mine…_What the hell, Cole?!_ _You can't be thinking about the Green Ninja that way! What would Sensei think? And she doesn't even seem that impressed by you, anyway. _

My thoughts were interrupted when Zane brought the food out to the table and everyone dug in at once. Since Arwyn seemed shy about tackling Kai and Jay, I elbowed them out of the way, filled a plate, and set it before her. She thanked me quietly, giving me a brief look, and then proceeded to mostly push the food around with her fork in a sort of preoccupied way, eating little, although it was great.

I'm afraid Zane, sitting at her right, was a little concerned about her lack of appetite for the awesome baked chicken in red wine sauce with asparagus and something he called 'pomme frites'. However, he tactfully didn't say anything to her. I know he scored extra points with _me_ for serving Italian cream cake for dessert!

During the meal, everyone talked excitedly about how we'd been waiting to discover the Green Ninja and how we were now going to train her. Arwyn was bombarded by several questions about her life and experiences. She politely answered every one, but only briefly, not volunteering much information.

Sensei sat silently listening to it all and looking at her often in a curious manner. I wondered what he was thinking about his newest student.

Thankfully, Zane kept quiet for the most part, so she didn't feel more under attack. She was getting enough nosy queries just from Kai, Jay, Nya, and Lloyd. I stayed quiet and just watched her, trying to keep the pressure low. I figured this had to be a lot to take in all in one evening.

Once the food was gone, Kai hopped up from the table saying, "Great food, Zane! Now let's take this party into the game room and get Arwyn acquainted with our other awesome talents!"

Lloyd seconded the motion, but Nya stood and cut in. "You're probably feeling a little overwhelmed about all this and kinda tired, Arwyn. Why don't I just bring you to my room and get some sleep clothes ready for you?"

That sounded good to me, as Sensei and I rose from the table, but when Arwyn stood, she turned and faced Sensei Wu, saying in an uncertain voice, "Actually, I want to thank you so much for your hospitality, and Zane, for the wonderful meal, but I'd really like to go home now and think about this before I make any decision about joining your group."

The room fell silent in shock, and everyone turned in her direction. _She wants to leave?_ I stared at her as she stood fidgeting a little, clenching her fists by her sides, looking purposely at Sensei, glancing only once at me.

The silence was broken by good ole Jay as he blurted, "You don't _know_ if you want to be a ninja?!" I shot him a look of warning.

Sensei Wu ignored him, nodded, and beckoned Arwyn and me to follow him as he left the table, the others gawking after us. Several frantic thoughts ran through my head as I watched her walk stiffly ahead of me to Sensei's quarters. _She can't leave! She's got to accept her destiny! We need the Green Ninja! How can we convince her to do it? How do you make someone accept something like this?...What if we just can't? And I just found her, I haven't even gotten to know her yet…_

We reached Sensei's quarters before I could let my mind run any further. I was the last one into the room and shut the door behind me. Turning toward Sensei and Arwyn, I saw she was positioned slightly away from me with her arms crossed in front of her, a look of determination on her face.

_Ah, she has regrouped, _I thought wryly. Trying to seem relaxed, I clasped my hands behind my hips and stood with my feet apart, watching them. _Let's let Sensei handle this._

He faced her and began innocently enough. "I understand that this may be causing you great distress," he said with a calm intonation. "However, until you make your decision, it will be necessary for you to be guarded day and night by your four protectors, the elemental masters." That's when he kinda screwed things up.

Arwyn's eyes widened, her face flushed, and she looked from him to me with irate astonishment. Her voice was louder and higher-pitched. "Are you kidding me? You think I'm the Green Ninja, and I suddenly lose my independence?!" _Oh, crud_, I thought. She continued, "I seriously do _not_ need guardians! I can assure you no one is after me!"

"Your powers have been awakened by the golden weapons of spinjitzu," Sensei patiently explained as I stood by ready to catch her if she ran. I could feel my brow furrowing even as I attempted to stay loose. "A ripple in the force of spinjitzu will have developed. The enemies of the Green Ninja will soon be aware of your presence and become a threat to you."

I cringed. This was not what she needed to hear. She threw her hands up in frustration, crying sarcastically, "Well, great! I agree to come here and automatically endanger myself to the point that I need _bodyguards_?! This is _not_ right!"

I figured maybe Sensei Wu was not cutting the mustard, so I decided to step in and help out. Speaking evenly in an effort to calm her a little, I interrupted, "We won't stop you from doing whatever you want to do or going wherever you want to go." Okay, good start. "We'll just be with you wherever you are." Eh…

"And that sounds alright to you?" she looked at me in disbelief. "I have done fine taking care of myself for a couple of years now! I don't need any help. And," she said with a scowl, leveling a finger at my chest, "How do I know I can trust _**you**__?!"_

I glanced at her accusing finger, trying to think fast enough to come up with something that wouldn't upset her more. In a reassuring voice, I answered, "Our main goal here is to fight and defeat the evil that threatens Ninjago. We have to keep you from harm in order to do that. You could not be safer than to be with us." Sounded good to me.

With her hands on her hips, Arwyn simply stood and stared me down for a few moments without blinking. I returned her gaze coolly, still standing with my hands behind me, trying to look nonthreatening. Or as nonthreatening as a burly, six-foot-three ninja in black can look to a woman almost a head shorter.

Finally, she looked away, the scowl disappeared, and she said as if defeated, "Okay, fine. I just want to go home now if that's alright."

The tension in the room eased somewhat, and Sensei Wu seemed satisfied, replying kindly, "That is good. Cole will escort you home and take the first watch. Whenever you are ready, you can come to me again."

Bowing respectfully, Arwyn said quietly, "Thank you, Sensei, for being understanding. Good night," then turned toward the door. I felt compelled to place a hand on her elbow just to guide her out, but she flinched at my touch, so I nixed that idea.

Letting her step out of the small room first, I then took the lead down the hall to the empty main deck, where I left her briefly to run back to the bunk room to retrieve an overnight bag.

_She's more like the ninja of ice than the Green Ninja. What do I have to do to get her to warm up?_ I mused as I stuffed toiletries and fresh clothing in the bag. _But, then again, why should I be concerned about warming her up? She'll be a teammate, Cole, nothing else, another member to lead and protect…She can't be anything else._

I managed to slip past the game room twice without anyone inside noticing me. They were too caught up in their tournament to notice anything. Not that I wanted to avoid them, I just wanted to avoid all the questioning and get back to Arwyn.

Let Sensei Wu tell them where I was when they realized I was gone. I had answered enough questions while he met with her for over an hour before supper, and even then I had not had much to tell them other than she was invited here by Sensei.

Getting back up to the main deck, I found the newly proclaimed Green Ninja leaning on the railing, contemplating the clear night sky which sparkled with millions of stars. I hated to interrupt any peaceful thoughts she might be having, but I figured she may think I was creepy if I just watched her for a while.

She didn't notice my approach until I was right beside her, because she jerked back when I appeared on her right. Sorry, but I _am_ a ninja.

"Ready to go?" I asked quietly as she relaxed a little. She nodded, looking over the deck railing. "Are we taking the cargo lifter back down?" she inquired.

"Actually, we're jumping over the railing and riding the Tread Assault down," I informed her with a big grin. This was gonna be fun.

She looked at me like I was nuts, but before she could do or say anything else, I impulsively did what I'd been wanting to do all evening. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I reached out and wrapped my right arm around her waist, pulling her close to me, while drawing my scythe from its sheath on my back with my left hand.

"Hold on tight!" I instructed brightly right before I lifted her off the deck and leapt over the railing as she screamed a protest, her arms clinging around my neck for dear life, her face buried against my collarbone. It was another cheap trick, but it was _so_ worth it!

After a moment of free-fall, I barely thought about it, and in a flash of golden light, we were inside the Tread Assault and rapidly nearing the ground. As we landed safely and sped off toward Ninjago City, Arwyn released me, punched me really hard in the arm, and gasped, "I am _so_ going to _kill_ you for doing that!" I just chuckled and rubbed my bruised neck and arm as I steered the vehicle across the moonlit desert. _Score!_

**A/N: Hope it's okay so far! Tell me what you think. Please review, pretty please!:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own Ninjago, just my OC Arwyn (and Cole's heart!) Thanks for the reviews, but I need more! (Greedy that way!) Hope you like this as Arwyn and Cole get to know each other a little.**

****Arwyn's POV**

Once I got my heart rate under control, the ride to Ninjago City was much more pleasant. Except for my racing thoughts. _What are they __**thinking**__? I am not __**capable**__ of everything they expect of the Green Ninja! They have __**got**_ _to have the wrong person. What will my parents think? What about my job? My life? And am I __**really**__ about to let a man I barely know take me home __**and**__ stay overnight? How unsafe is __**that**__? I must be crazy!,,,,_

The Master of Earth riding in front of me didn't say a lot on the way. After he played his second little prank, I wasn't in the mood for conversation, anyway, and he left me alone to stew. Of course, if it had not been for the sheer terror of falling rapidly toward the ground, I would have appreciated being held by the big guy more than I did.

Just what was a "Master of Earth" anyway? Another tidbit of information I'd have to get explained to me, just like the hundreds of other answers I'd need to my hundreds of questions. This had turned into a really complicated day.

Finally arriving at my apartment door in Ninjago City, I twisted the key in the lock with Cole hovering a couple of feet behind me. I lived in a ground-floor unit which opened to the parking lot. It was far from being the penthouse at some upscale place like in some areas of the city, but it was clean, comfortable, and, I had presumed, safe.

Cole scanned the area surrounding it, seemed satisfied that all was well, then resignedly said, "Since you have a problem with having me around, I'll keep watch outside for the night."

Rolling my eyes, I sighed as I pushed the door open and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I don't have a problem with _you." Far from it! _"But my life's just been turned upside down, and I'm not used to this kind of stuff."

It was hard to tell since the light of the street lamp cast shadows across his face, but he appeared to be relieved a little by that. Maybe he thought I hated him. I guess I needed to loosen up if we were going to be spending the night together.

I reached in, flicked on the living room light, and turned in the doorway to face him as he stood on the sidewalk. "And you can't stay outside like a dog. The neighbors will see you and freak out."

The ninja in black smirked a little arrogantly at that suggestion. "I'm a ninja. The neighbors will _not_ see me."

I smirked back. "Believe me, _my_ neighbors will see you." _Time to loosen up, girl. _I reached forward, grabbed him by his leather vest armor, and yanked him toward the apartment. "You'll stay inside. The couch is pretty comfortable…"

He reflexively put out his hands, catching each side of the doorjamb, stopping there, and protesting, "Your bedroom has a window. If I'm on the couch, I can't watch that. I'll just stay…"

Not bothering to let him finish, I hauled him the rest of the way into the living room and shut the door. I was kinda surprised that I was strong enough to move him… "Fine, then sleep on the bedroom floor! I don't care anymore. It'll give us a chance to talk about all of this." _I __**must**__ be nuts._

The strapping ninja frowned a little and fidgeted uncomfortably by the door. "In your…bedroom?"

_Wow. A guy like him who isn't __**running**__ for a woman's bedroom?_ I eyed him with amused amazement. "If I have nothing to fear from you, then you have nothing to fear from me, right?"

"Of course not!" he agreed a little too quickly, as if he wasn't so sure about that.

Heading to the small kitchen for a glass of water, I hid a smile as I added, "I'll just warn you ahead of time that I have a Taser handy, so no funny stuff."

Cole paused in his scrutiny of my humble abode and looked uncertainly in my direction. "…Uh…"

"Chill. I'm joking," I said, smiling as I sipped the clear liquid. "Maybe." He didn't look totally convinced. _Good. Keep him on his toes_.

Later, a few blankets and pillows on the floor at the foot of my bed were all he insisted he needed, even as I argued that it wouldn't be very comfortable.

"It's better than bare ground in the rain, which I've done before. I'll be fine," he assured me.

"Well, you're making ninja life look _real_ attractive," I retorted as I headed to the bathroom for a shower, wondering what I may be getting into.

Once I was out, I waited until his turn in the bathroom before removing my robe, hopping into bed, and covering up in my usual camisole top and cotton shorts. When he came out a few minutes later, Cole was wearing a black T-shirt and a clean pair of black gi pants, in case he had to get out of the apartment quickly, he said.

I put out the lights, and we began to settle down for the night since it was getting late, and I had work in the morning. The silence was deafening for a few moments before I couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up from my bed. "I have a ton of questions to ask you, but maybe we could start by getting to know a little more about each other?"

"Ask me anything," came the quiet reply from the floor at the foot of the bed.

"What's your full name?"

"Um…Valerio Cole Montanaro," he said hesitantly, then quickly added, "And you can't tell the others about that first one."

"There's nothing wrong with 'Valerio', but I won't tell," I promised. "Is there a story behind it?"

"Don't know. Just means 'brave and strong'. Your name?"

"Arwyn Rie Saito. 'Rie' means 'valued blessing'. Not sure about 'Arwyn'. Age and birthdate?"

"Twenty-two. July thirteenth. Yours?"

"Just turned twenty-three on February twenty-eighth."

"Older woman, eh?" he commented with a chuckle from his supine position.

Sitting up in the bed, I leaned back, supporting myself on my arms, and huffed, "By, what, four months? Whatever. Where'd you grow up?"

"In the town of Castor. My dad is still there. And you?"

"A farm outside of Miyagi," I answered. I hesitated on the next one, but, hey, we were supposed to be sharing information. "What happened to your mom?"

"I don't know where my mother is," Cole stated as his head appeared at the foot of the bed in the dim light. "The bitch left us when I was twelve," he added with more than a hint of bitterness.

_Crud_. "Cole, I'm sorry…," I said regretfully, sympathizing for the hurt boy he had been and apologizing for refreshing that pain.

"That's okay. Let's not talk about it." He hugged his knees. "What about your parents?"

"They're still doing good in Miyagi. I usually see them two or three times a month. Any siblings?"

"Only child. You?"

"Just me. My parents couldn't have children. I was given to them when I was toddler."

"'Given'?" he voiced quizzically.

Shifting to the foot of the bed and lying on top of the covers on my abdomen, I rested my chin in my hand and faced the ninja of earth. I was actually getting pretty comfortable with him. "Apparently my biological mother passed away, and my supposed father was older and traveled a lot, so he showed up one night on the doorstep with a baby named Arwyn, and my mom and dad were more than happy to take me off his hands," I summarized.

"Hence the name meaning 'valued blessing'," he said thoughtfully. "That also explains why you don't look much like most of the natives I've seen from that area."

"Yeah. Anyway, what'd you do before you met Sensei?"

"Eh…," he paused. "When I was seventeen, my dad sent me to a school and wanted me to be something I wasn't, so I took off after a few weeks and wandered around Ninjago for a few years testing my limits."

"Doing what?" I asked curiously.

"Mountain climbing, trekking through jungles, swimming straits, spelunking…"

"Holy cow! You're like an adventurer!" I exclaimed with enthusiasm. "That's really cool! But where did your dad send you?"

He looked away for a moment, then back to me and said in a dead-serious tone, "If I tell you, you can't laugh." I thought he sounded embarrassed.

"I'd never do that," I said, just as seriously.

****Cole's POV**

I closed my eyes and prepared myself for her laughter, anyway, before saying, "The Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts…to be a dancer."

Shockingly, she didn't pause before stating with a note of sincerity, "Well, that's something else you can do that I can't…"

The tension in my shoulders left immediately, but I still argued, "It's not as useful as a degree in nursing."

"I bet it's helped a lot in learning to do spinjitzu," she countered easily.

I reflected on that for a minute. She might be right. "Well…I never really thought about that, but I guess it has made it easier for me to train," I finally responded with a newfound respect for my long-hidden talents.

"Subject change," she announced. "Sounds like you've done a lot of traveling. Do you have a significant other somewhere in Ninjago?" She seemed to sound indifferent, but I wasn't sure as I watched her trace a finger on the comforter in front of her.

Deliberately delaying my response for a minute, I gazed thoughtfully at Arwyn as she lay in the soft halo of light that filtered in through her curtained window. Would she care either way? "Honestly, I met a few girls here and there and went out with them once or twice, but it never went further than that when I was traveling, and now I don't have the time."

I thought I may have heard her exhale suddenly, like she was holding her breath for a minute. "What about you?" I tried to ask casually. "I didn't notice an extra toothbrush hanging in the bathroom."

To tell the truth, I had snooped all over the apartment for signs of a guy while she was showering, but the only things I had found without digging through drawers were framed photos of Arwyn and an older man whom I presumed was her father.

"I don't go out much. I really don't take the time to look for guys," she said without reservation. "I wasted two and a half years of my life with a jerk in high school and college before I finally grew a spine and ditched him a couple of years ago." She did not try to hide the resentment in her voice.

It was my turn to sigh with relief. "What made him a jerk?" I asked, hoping she didn't think I fit into the same category.

"I wouldn't sleep with him, so he'd run off for a little while, then I'd stupidly take him back," she said matter-of-factly. "It took a while for me to finally wake up."

I scowled in the dark, ashamed of the stereotypical male. "And now you don't trust any man?" I questioned, thinking of our exchange in Sensei Wu's quarters and her earlier reactions every time I got close to her.

"Well, that and the next guy I dated who tried to control me and my boss's harassment have not helped much," came her truthful reply. "Just as I'm sure your mother's desertion probably keeps you from jumping into relationships," she added off-handedly.

I felt like a slight shock went through me. Although she probably had not meant to, she had struck a nerve, guessing at one of the repercussions of my mother's abandonment of my father and me. It was something I had tried to ignore for the last few years, but it had kept me from getting close to women.

From my silence, she must have figured it was time to change the subject again. "Anyway…I really want to know more about you, but we could be here all night doing that, so maybe we should save it for later and talk about this ninja thing," she went on quickly. "How did you meet Sensei?"

I took a quick breath. Thank goodness, a subject I could handle! "He was at the top of the mountain I was climbing, saying he had been waiting for me. He introduced me to the fact that an evil was threatening Ninjago and that I was the first of the chosen elemental masters."

In the half-light, she seemed to develop a look of concentration. "Really? So why did you actually decide to do it?" she pressed.

"I knew it was the right thing to do…that this was what I was born to be," I answered with certainty.

It wasn't enough for her. "But _how_ did you know?" she prodded insistently.

"It just hit me that if he said I was chosen and Ninjago was threatened, this was how I could serve a purpose," I responded patiently. "Otherwise, I was doing nothing useful to anyone. This way, I could actually work for the greater good and still challenge myself."

Arwyn folded her arms on the bed and placed her chin on them. "Being useful and helping people were two of the reasons I became a nurse."

I saw an opportunity and grasped it quickly. "Then just think of how many more people you can help by accepting your destiny and training with us as the Green Ninja. You would be serving all of Ninjago, not just the people you see in your clinic."

Arwyn did not respond other than to lower her forehead to her folded arms. Sensing I was hitting at a weak point, I rose to my knees at the foot of the bed and rested my forearms on the edge of the mattress, leaning toward her. "If you want to do the most good, here's your chance," I said in a low voice.

She did not raise her head from her arms, but I could hear her muffled voice as she protested, saying, "I'm a nurse, a healer, not a warrior or a soldier. What good can I possibly do? What would I do with my career, my life…such as it is…I don't even know any martial arts…and my self-defense classes don't count."

I felt like I was going in for the kill. Putting a tentative hand on her forearm, I whispered, "The power is in you. We will teach you to use it. We will not leave you."

Lifting her head, Arwyn rolled onto her back and looked up at me where I leaned over the foot of the bed. We were looking at each other upside down, our faces only a few inches apart. Her eyes widened as she must have suddenly realized our close proximity.

I was pondering how her lips were parted and that her eyes were glinting more now in the semi-darkness than they had earlier when I realized that my head was dipping slowly toward hers. Catching myself, I straightened up, pushing quickly away from the foot of the bed. _**What the hell am I doing?**_

Wiping the back of one hand across her eyes, Arwyn abruptly rose to a sitting position, putting more space between us. "I-I don't take to change very well," she stammered uneasily, tucking her hair away from her face. "I'm not sure I could do this."

I sat back on my heels, ran both hands through my hair, and took a deep breath. _**What**__ did I almost do? Now I've probably messed up what we had going! I almost made a move on her! What am I __**thinking**__? She's the Green Ninja, for Pete's sake! I can't be thinking about her like __**that!**__ And what did she just say? Oh, yeah… _

Rubbing my closed eyelids with my fingertips, I made an attempt to focus and get back to the conversation before I lost track of everything. "Change is never easy, but it is necessary and inevitable. I'm pretty confident that you can do anything you set your mind to do. You just have to agree to try."

"Well, I don't make huge decisions like this overnight, so I hope Sensei won't mind giving me another day or so," she responded as she dove back under the protection of her comforter. From her pillow, Arwyn introduced another topic of conversation. "Tell me about what it's like to be a ninja, what you do to train, what the other guys are like,…."

As her list got longer, I settled back down on my bedroll with my arms crossed behind my head, and readied myself for an all-nighter. I relaxed somewhat as I knew she may have distanced herself from me physically, but she was still willing to talk to me about the possibility of joining the team. At this point, getting her onto the _Bounty_ was my main objective. I could tackle the personal stuff later. Or not.

**A/N: He's so sweet! Review, review, review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: No owning of Ninjago here! Just wanting you to enjoy! (and needing verification that you enjoy:) thanks to those who do!  
**

****Arwyn's POV**

It was about three A.M. when I finally thought about shutting down for the night. My alarm would go off at six, and I was gonna be wasted for work. But that was my fault.

I had asked Cole to tell me all he could think of regarding being a ninja, spinjitzu, training, the other guys and their personalities, adventures they had had, battles they had been in, the enemies, and anything else he could think of adding. And so he had. All of it really had me thinking about which decision I needed to make.

After that, we had gotten back to the question-and-answer session about our personal lives, likes, and dislikes. He was so easy to talk to! I now felt like I knew more about him than I had about any other guy I had ever been around. And I liked him even more.

He was not as arrogant as I had originally thought, just enough to make him really confident and not afraid to try things. He was also clever, interesting, courageous, well-traveled, a little vengeful, charming, caring, trustworthy...

I was certainly more comfortable with him now than I had been on the ship.

I was even welcoming that potential kiss when we were so close on the bed, but he messed that up by stopping all of a sudden like somebody had jerked him back by the collar. That did _nothing_ for my confidence. _Oh, well, Arwyn, you can't be doing that with someone you've just met, anyway…on your bed, no less. You're not like that. And if your parents knew…_

When the stupid clock went off after I got less than three hours of sleep, I smacked the snooze button and rolled over, wondering why I was so tired. Then I remembered. "Cole?" I called quietly, lifting my head from the pillow, not sure I had not been dreaming.

"I'm here," he answered quickly, sitting up from his spot on the floor, pushing his lightly-tousled hair away from his forehead, a little smile on his face.

_Why am I so happy and relieved to see him here in the growing light of dawn?_ "Just checking for my bodyguard. Good morning," I said lightly as I grabbed my robe and covered up quickly before slipping into the bathroom. _You need to get a grip on yourself. You've only known this guy for less than a day._ _There's no such thing as love at first sight! _I chided myself. _Wait, who said anything about 'love'?_

A while later, as we sat down to breakfast, me still in my short, cotton robe since I hated dressing early, and Cole in his black T–shirt and gi pants, a knock sounded at the door.

"It's six-thirty! Who the hell…?" Cole uttered irritably as he quickly rose and headed for the door.

From my seat at the café table in my small kitchen, I couldn't see the living area at all, but the identity of the caller hit me immediately. "It's Jay," I said quietly. I could feel his electricity like static on a cold, dry morning.

Cole stopped in his tracks and looked at me with narrowed eyes. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"I can feel his snap, crackle, and pop," I answered simply. _How weird is that?_

He hesitated a second with a peculiar look on his face, then strode silently to the door. After checking through the peephole, he unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a beaming Jay standing on the mat. "What are you doing here?" was the only greeting the ninja of lightning got from his leader.

"Well, good morning to you, too, Cole," Jay said sarcastically as he slipped in past him and headed over to me. "And top of the morning to you, Arwyn," he said cheerfully, taking Cole's seat at the little table.

"Morning, Jay. Nice to see you again," I greeted with a smile as I raised my coffee mug for a life-sustaining sip. "Would you like anything for breakfast?"

"Thanks," he said, getting comfortable in the chair. "But I grabbed something on my way out."

Cole came to stand over him with a scowl, silently willing him to relinquish his chair. Jay either didn't get the hint, or wouldn't, so the earth ninja slid his plate and mug over and grabbed a small stool to join us at the table, grumbling under his breath as his did so. Jay barely slid him an amused glance out of the corner of his eye.

After I yawned for the second time since he'd walked in, Jay observed, "You're looking a little tired, Arwyn. Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Cole was in my room and kept me up all night," I answered suggestively. Cole's head snapped up, and he looked from me to Jay a little awkwardly. _A little payback_.

"Really?" grinned Jay as he eyed his brother in black with raised eyebrows. "Cole, you devil!"

Cole looked a little uneasy as he immediately defended himself. "We were _talking_ all night. Arwyn is really interested in everything we do, so she had a lot of questions." I glimpsed him looking at me pointedly as I grinned and shrugged. "And you never answered _my_ question. What are you doing here?"

"Duh. Relieving you," Jay said flippantly. I glanced quickly at Cole. _What? When I just got this one broken in, they're tag-teaming me?_

The big guy rejected that idea right away. "I don't need you to relieve me, Jay. You can go on back…."

But Jay cut him short with his hand up, palm outward. "Eh, eh, eh! Take it up with Sensei Wu. He sent me, and I'm not going back until this evening."

Cole rubbed his face with both hands, protesting, "I got plenty of rest, and there's nothing I need to be taking care of back home."

"Yeah, you look like you slept a bunch," Jay said flatly. "I have orders. You're going back to the _Bounty_, not me."

I had finished my coffee and set the mug down. "While you two decide who gets to spend an exciting day sitting in my office watching me work, I'm going to get ready to hit the trail," I said as I rose from the table and headed to my bedroom.

It was actually a little early for me to start getting ready. I was excusing myself so Jay wouldn't see how disappointed I was that he was taking Cole's place.

Trying to tamp that feeling down, I reminded myself that as long as I kept the ninja in a holding pattern, I couldn't be monopolizing Cole's time and attention. He had other responsibilities. Besides, I couldn't be getting too attached to someone I may not see again once I made a decision about this Green Ninja business. Right?

Finishing dressing with time to spare, I wandered out into the living area to meet my two new friends. Cole had given up trying to convince Jay to go back to the ship and was now aggravating him with instructions on how to protect the Green Ninja.

Jay's eyes rolled liked marbles as he tolerated the lecture as long as he could before putting a stop to it. "Enough! I think I can handle the position of bodyguard today! I've been up against skeletons and Serpentine often enough. This should be a walk in the park. Worry wart." He added the last part under his breath.

"Fine," retorted Cole. "But keep your comlink on and call me immediately if anything happens."

I couldn't help but laugh at their friendly banter which had no hint of animosity. I was gathering my things when I remembered the class I taught which was scheduled for the evening. "Oh, Jay, I almost forgot. I'll be teaching my self-defense class at five-thirty at the Fitness Center. Maybe I could use you to demonstrate as the attacker."

"Getting beat up by a bunch of women sounds good for this afternoon," he responded with a grin.

"Don't enjoy it too much, or I'll tell Nya about it," Cole threatened good-naturedly. Jay cut him some eyes.

Since I had left my car at the clinic, riding last night to and from the ship in Cole's Tread Assault, he decided to bring me to work, letting Jay deal with getting to the clinic on his own. He seemed a little preoccupied on the drive, and was fighting morning traffic through the city in a vehicle larger than most, so I sat back and enjoyed the ride quietly. I tried not to think of how much I wished he wasn't leaving me.

Once we got to the clinic and pulled into the parking lot, he reached back without a word and offered me his hand, which I took without hesitation. Funny how I had discouraged his touch yesterday afternoon, but now I almost craved it…

A moment later I was landing on my feet on the concrete with Cole facing me, as if we had practiced it often. However, I really wouldn't have minded it if he had surprised me like last time.

Giving my hand a squeeze, then reluctantly releasing it, Cole took a breath and started, "When Jay knocked on the door, you said you knew it was him because you could feel him." He looked at me inquisitively. "What was that about?"

I cocked my head and thought a moment. "I don't know. It's just that since supper last night I noticed that I had these strange feelings on the ship that stopped when we left it. Then Jay got to the apartment, and I had one of the feelings again until we separated from him a few minutes ago."

"What kinds of feelings?" he asked with a brooding look like he was trying to figure something out.

"Well, with Jay, it's kind of exhilarating and electric. Sitting next to Zane, I felt a cool calmness. I'm guessing the heat and impatient tension was Kai." I glanced up at him. "Why do you think that happened?"

"Possibly you're sensing the elemental masters because of something the golden weapons awakened in you," he answered thoughtfully, dropping his gaze to the ground. "What do you feel with me?" he asked without looking up, letting his long bangs hide his eyes.

I considered that, mentally sorting through the many stimuli and emotions bombarding my mind and body at the moment. I couldn't find anything or remember something from last night. I regretfully told him the truth. "I don't seem to be sensing anything."

"Oh. Okay," he said quietly, finally looking up as Jay's Storm Fighter flew low above the top of the next-door building, disappeared, and Jay dropped down to the roof. _Did I just hurt his feelings by saying that? _I thought worriedly_. That is the last thing I want to do to him! _ Before I could say anything else, Jay jumped from the fire escape and ran over to us.

"Whew! If it wasn't for having to decide on a place to land, I'd have beaten you here. That traffic looks like murder!" he laughed as he caught his breath.

Seemingly lost in thought, Cole just commented, "Yeah. It was," before forcefully flinging his scythe away from him and transforming it into the Tread Assault before it hit the car on the far side of the lot.

"Have a good one," he said offhandedly, then flipped onto the cockpit and seated himself. Just before driving off, he made eye contact with me and raised a finger in a little wave. I waved back timidly.

"Huh," Jay began. "He seemed a little bugged about something. What's up?"

"Just the traffic," I muttered as I watched the Tread Assault disappear around a corner.

It was then that I realized I had been wrong. The intense, reassuring feeling of well-being, solidity, strength, and protection I had had since last night had been his. It had left with him, and I missed it at once.

****Cole's POV**

Okay. That really got to me. As the Green Ninja, she could sense _all_ of the other elemental masters, but not _me,_ the Master of Earth? Why are those three more stimulating and noticeable while good ole, dependable, responsible Cole is not?

I headed straight for the _Bounty,_ ruminating the whole way about that and how much I hated being relieved without being consulted. And I hated that I hated it!

I didn't need to be relieved, even though I hadn't slept at all. We had talked most of the night, like I've _never_ talked with anyone before, then I had stayed awake thinking about her and how to best protect her. This was nothing I couldn't handle.

But why couldn't I stop _thinking_ about her?

It's not like I hadn't been out with lots of women. I had been popular in high school, met a couple of girls the short time I was at the performing arts school, and been _all over_ Ninjago. Women are everywhere.

But none had what I was looking for, and I dumped them before they could dump me. I rarely dated anyone more than once or twice, and I _never_ let any of them get close to my heart.

I also had not slept with any of them. I'm not like most guys who just need a place to sleep with somebody. I'd need a reason, and I hadn't met a woman yet who gave me a good one.

But Arwyn seemed different. It wasn't just because she was beautiful and looked great last night in those clingy sleep clothes showing her long, slender legs and slim waist and firm, round…._wait_, _**what**__?!_ _Stop it, Cole!_ I screamed at myself as the Tread Assault flickered around me, threatening to drop me, rolling, to the sandy ground over which I was speeding. _**Focus**_**.**

She was also an excellent listener, considerate, strong, imaginative, funny, sympathetic, sarcastic, guarded, intelligent, independent, stubborn,…and the _chosen Green Ninja_. _UGH! I have to remember that and try not to see her as anything else!_ If she came to stay with us, I was to train her and be her protector, nothing else. _Nothing_.

I don't know how, but I made it to the _Bounty_ without accidentally dispelling the Tread Assault en route. Once I got there, I headed straight for the training room with the sand-filled, heavy punching bag. I needed to vent.

Luckily, I didn't run into anyone else on the way there, since I was in no mood to talk. I knew I needed to be reporting to Sensei Wu, but I had to get this frustration out of my system before I did that.

I had been trying to empty my mind while working the heavy bag over steadily for a good ten minutes when I heard a loud tapping from the doorway. Ceasing the beating I was giving the bag, I wiped my brow on my sleeve, and turned, panting, to see Sensei Wu with his bamboo staff watching me.

"Nya said she saw you arrive about fifteen minutes ago, Cole. Why have you not come to report to me?" the Master inquired. He had an intent look which led me to follow his gaze to the ripped seam in the bag from which sand was running, collecting in a scattered pile on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," I said, bowing slightly. "I needed to…work something out for a minute before burdening you."

"Yes, well, come to my quarters to burden me," he said as he turned and headed down the hall, adding, "Now."

**A/N: Poor Cole...Review people, or no cookies for you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't own Ninjago, just Arwyn. Thanks so much to birthdaypi and Ninjago1019 for the encouragement! Hope you continue to enjoy the story!  
**

****Sensei Wu's POV**

I led Cole into my quarters, settling myself on the mat in seiza and removing my rice hat. He followed me in and shut the door quietly, kneeling on the mat across from me. After pouring two small cups of tea and handing him one, I took a slow, appreciative sip and studied my first student.

He had removed his armor and scabbard before pummeling the heavy bag, and his hair stuck to his furrowed brow which glistened with sweat. He swiped the black locks to the side, wiping his brow on his sleeve again before taking a long drink from his cup, draining it. He looked tired and pensive.

Had something happened? Hiding the sudden apprehension that welled up inside me, I asked calmly, "How is Arwyn?" while refilling his cup.

"She's safely at her clinic with Jay right now," he said a little resentfully before quickly adding, "Nothing troublesome happened after we left here last night."

I relaxed more, knowing that. "So what _did_ happen after you left the ship with Arwyn?"

Cole paused a moment with a thoughtful expression. "We did a lot of talking about everything all night, and …I think the golden weapons may have awakened some things in her already."

"Such as…," I encouraged him with piqued curiosity.

"Well, I first noticed that she had a powerful punch, then she surprised me when she yanked me into her apartment, although I know I outweigh her by almost a hundred pounds…," he began to explain.

"She punched and yanked you?" I repeated, amused at the thought as well as concerned. _What have they been doing?_

My team leader reddened somewhat and sheepishly looked elsewhere. "Irrelevant story. She just punched me on the arm and wouldn't let me stay outside overnight."

"So you stayed _inside_ her apartment overnight?" I clarified.

"Yes, Sensei." He looked down at his cup, as though expecting admonishment for doing something so improper with a young woman he barely knew.

_Any means necessary_… "Well, it seems that you and she came to an accord. Does she trust you more now?"

"Yes, Sensei," he answered quickly, lifting his head and brightening somewhat, his brow smoothing.

"Good, good. Have you noticed other things that seemed… extraordinary?" I prodded.

Cole paused again. "She can sense the elemental masters when they are within a certain range."

My eyebrows twitched up at talk of her sensitivity. _So soon_. "Indeed? You said 'they'. Are you included?"

He lowered his head slightly, then sat up straighter, his face blank. "She said she couldn't feel my element, only the other three." Did I hear dejection in his voice?

"I see. Perhaps you are simply not as easy for her to discern as the other three," I said, making an effort to placate him. "I would not be concerned about that." He only nodded. "Has she made a decision about accepting her destiny?"

"Not yet, Sensei. She said she can't make decisions like this overnight and may need a couple of days yet," sighed my earth ninja.

"I understand. It is good that she is not a rash thinker. We will simply continue to provide her protection until she makes her decision," I said, checking my empty cup.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Sensei," my student began hesitantly. "I really didn't need to be relieved this morning. I could have stayed with her all day. In fact, I can go back tonight…"

I stopped him with a raised finger. "That won't be necessary, Cole. I intend on sending Zane to stay with her overnight," I informed him as I poured myself another cup.

"But, Sensei, she and I developed a rapport last night…," his voice was a little louder and his tone more urgent as he attempted to reason with me.

"I don't doubt that," I acknowledged, but I did not need him getting too emotionally involved so soon.

"…so I need to be the one with her," he continued.

_Hmm, too late. _"In truth, she needs to be exposed to the personalities and temperaments of each of you in turn," I countered firmly.

"But, Sensei…" I quieted him with a raised finger again. I wasn't sure where this was heading, but I had my suspicions and was uneasy with it. It was not like Cole to argue with me. _He must feel strongly about something to react this way._

"Zane will stay with her tonight," I repeated. "Kai will relieve him tomorrow if Arwyn has still not made a decision by then." I watched as his jaw tensed and relaxed several times, his neck and face flushing pinker. _He feels __**very**__ strongly_. I hoped this was not going to cause a rift of some kind.

"Thank you for the report, Cole. You may go about your chores and training now," I said dismissively. "Then get some rest."

Rising from the mat, he bowed respectfully and marched silently out of the room, closing the door carefully behind him. A minute later, I heard him whacking away at the heavy bag once again.

****Cole's POV**

I left Sensei's quarters worse off than when I had arrived on the ship, although I wasn't sure why. Because Jay, Zane, and Kai would be the ones with Arwyn over the next nearly thirty-six hours, or because I didn't like being told 'no'?

First of all, I was _not_ jealous! Then, Sensei was usually pretty flexible regarding my requests. He wouldn't even budge on this one. What was up with that? I wasn't sure what I was going to do over the next day and a half, but I had to get control of myself soon.

I got back to the heavy bag and began pounding it like there was no tomorrow, each blow harder than the last. My arms and shoulders burned, and my knuckles ached, but it wasn't helping. _Just a little harder!_ _One last time_, I thought…

As I delivered the blow, sand flew everywhere, spewing from a new, larger rip in the seam near where my fist had struck last. A shower of sand rained down, sticking to my sweaty face and settling in my hair, over my shoulders, all over the wooden floor. I spit the gritty grains from my mouth, feeling the crunch between my teeth. _Perfect_.

"Holy crap, Cole! Why'd you destroy the punching bag?!" Nya's voice from the doorway startled me, and I whirled to face her, ashamed that someone had witnessed my loss of restraint. She stood wide-eyed watching the mess on the floor get bigger as the bag hemorrhaged its contents.

"Umm…" I tried to think of something, but…"I got nothin'," I admitted, dropping my arms by my sides and looking at the split bag. "Would you happen to have something I could use to fix this?" I asked guiltily.

"I'll get the sail-repair kit and a broom," she said, sighing, as she left the room.

When she returned, we silently got to work cleaning up the mess and repairing the bag, although I told her I could take care of it alone. After a few minutes of this, Nya finally spoke. "I saw you from the bridge when you got back this morning. You didn't look very happy. Did something happen with Arwyn?"

I stiffened at her words. _What the hell do I tell her? "Oh, I'm just crazy for this girl, see…" _I decided not to go that route.

"No, nothing's happened with her. Nothing's happened with anyone. Jay got to her apartment alright, and by now he should be getting pretty bored sitting in her office while she sees patients." _There, that should be good enough_.

But it wasn't. "Cole, you don't normally get this worked up when 'nothing has happened," she said. "Did she get ugly and bitchy and fight with you? What did she do to you last night? Is she refusing to accept she's the Green Ninja?" she asked, getting a bit worked up herself.

"No, no! Nothing like that! She's great, she's a great girl! She was just broad-sided by everything last night," I said defensively as I stitched the canvas bag with a thick cord. "That's all. That's why she was kinda standoffish. But she's really great."

Nya stopped her sweeping, not saying anything for a minute, causing me to stop and look up at her from where I sat cross-legged on the floor. "What?" I asked, clueless.

One corner of her mouth was turned up in an amused way as she studied me intently. "Cole Montanaro, you just said 'she's a great girl' _three_ times. What is going on with you?"

I started to say, "Noth…," but she cut me off quickly with a hand in my face.

"Do not say 'nothing' and lie to me!" she laughed. "I already know from Jay that you spent all night in her bedroom talking with her. Then you tried to talk him out of relieving you, even though it's obvious to anyone who knows you that you've been without sleep for more than twenty-four hours."

She paused, but she wasn't done. "You get home looking like the Serpentine just trashed your favorite village, and then proceed to beat the hell out of the punching bag before _and_ after you talked with Sensei. Something is eating you, and I want to know what," she finally finished, resting her fist on her hip.

_Damn Jay and his lightning mouth. Did I even make it home before he called Nya? _I looked away from her and sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Nya. In fact, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Well, you're just going to have to," she insisted with a concerned expression as she sat on the floor next to me. "I won't leave you alone about it until you do, and you know that."

I could tell by the resolute look in her eyes that Nya would badger me about this until she finally broke me. _May as well save myself some misery_, I thought before saying, "You cannot repeat a thing I'm about to say to a living soul! Not even Jay!"

She smiled gently and traced a small X over her chest with a finger.

Propping my elbows on my knees, I dropped my head into my hands and took a deep breath, feeling defeated. "It's stupid. Yeah, we spent all night talking about the ninja business and ourselves. I felt so comfortable around her. I've _never_ opened up to anyone the way I did with Arwyn. She now knows more about me than anyone I've ever met, even my own father."

I lifted my head and looked at Nya. "She was wonderful to be with, and now…," I broke off to collect my thoughts. "Now I guess it's just a stupid crush, but I can't take a breath without thinking about her."

I noticed Nya's smile get bigger, and I kept going quickly. "But this isn't my first rodeo. I know it'll wear off. It has to, since she's the Green Ninja and destined for bigger things than being with me. If she even accepts our offer."

Nya frowned and shook her head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What makes her so high above you that this couldn't be more than a crush? That part is just nonsense."

"I'll have a responsibility to train, respect, support, and protect her, not chase her around like some love-sick puppy. I can't be thinking like this and still set a good example for the rest of the team," I argued, fully believing my logic.

"Cole, you can't help how you feel, and you wouldn't be doing anything wrong if everyone knew about it," she tried to convince me with a hand on my shoulder.

"No one can know, not the guys, not Sensei, not Arwyn!" I said a little forcefully. She gripped my shoulder instead of removing her hand.

"I won't tell anyone, Cole, but if this lasts, you can't hold it in forever," Nya said quietly. "Arwyn would certainly need to know how you felt, and there are two other unattached guys on this ship," she added with a warning note in her voice.

Footsteps sounded down the hall just then, rapidly approaching the training room. _Well, speak of the devils…_ I glanced quickly at Nya who traced the X again. Kai and Zane stepped into the doorway, eyes widening at the sight of the mess we had only halfway cleaned up.

"Whoa, Cole! What'd the punching bag do to deserve this?" asked Kai with a laugh.

I resumed my stitching. "Just a seam working itself apart," I said briefly.

Zane spoke up. "Sensei Wu informed us that you were back, and that I would be looking after Arwyn tonight. We came to see how things had gone with her, and what I can expect."

_Great._

**A/N: Review, review, please! Cookies to everyone!**_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: No own Ninjago, just my OCs. I'm so excited that somebody enjoys reading this, since I enjoy writing it! Please continue to read and review!**

****Arwyn's POV**

By about noon Jay was ready to jump out of his skin. Doing nothing but sitting in my office was really getting to the hyper blue ninja. I tried to distract him when I could by asking him some of the same questions about being a ninja that I had asked Cole, just for another point of view, but it wasn't quite enough. He was probably wishing he had taken his leader up on his offer to stay with me. At least Cole could sit still for longer periods.

As for me, I could barely keep my mind straight enough to avoid making a mistake in my work. Between worrying about whether or not to follow my supposed destiny and having invasive thoughts about a certain ninja in black, I was a scatterbrained mess.

I had distanced myself from relationships with men for the past two years, only going on casual dates and then not answering phone calls if I had a twinge of doubt about the guy.

How was it that, after all of that, Cole had etched himself onto my heart after just one night? And how could I manage to admit this to myself or anyone else when the future seemed more uncertain than usual?

Even Jay noticed my absent-mindedness a couple of times when he directed some remark to me, and I totally ignored him because I had not heard him. I hated looking like a nitwit.

At last four-thirty came, and I drove us to the Fitness Center for my self-defense class. Jay was overjoyed to be released from his little cell and doing something. He was too cute like that!

All of my female students thought so, too. Not one of them complained about being man-handled by the handsome, funny, and energetic guy.

He had come in without his armor so he wouldn't draw excess attention to himself. Of course, the place was full of women, so he got plenty, anyway, and seemed flattered by it all.

After the class, my naturally-platinum-blonde girlfriend, Sofiya, who taught the yoga class before mine, came over to chat before we left for the day.

"Arwyn, who's your cute little friend?" she asked with interest, sidling up to me and eyeing Jay as he drank a bottle of water by the exit, waiting for me to wrap things up and head to the apartment.

"His name's Jay, he's a friend from a dojo across town, and he's taken," I summarized with an apologetic smile. "But there are more where he came from who aren't," I added optimistically.

"A dojo? Other guys? Are you getting into the martial arts?" she asked dubiously.

"Eh, I'm thinking about training for a belt. He's here to check out what I do already," I lied easily. "Anyway, I did meet some other great guys at the dojo. One in particular is really, _really_ nice," I added a little dreamily. Maybe too much so.

"Arwyn, you never say anything about a guy." Sofiya smiled at me with a little surprise. "Is he hot?"

"_Incredibly_ so," I said breathlessly. "He's handsome and built like that wrestler who's done some of those kids' movies, has Italian blood, thick, black hair, a great sense of humor, is charming, intelligent…" _I could go on and on…_

When I paused for a breath, Sofiya asked, "Does anyone else know how you feel about this incredibly hot guy?"

"No, I just met him," I answered quickly.

She glanced over my shoulder. "Well, someone else does now."

I whirled to find Jay standing close behind me with a toothy grin. _Oh. My. God_. His spark had felt constant to me, so I hadn't noticed him get any closer. "What did you hear?" I gasped in a panic.

"Just how incredibly hot you think Cole is," he replied, never losing the grin.

"'Cole'," Sofiya said musingly with a thoughtful expression and a finger on her chin. "Sounds hot."

"You _cannot_ tell a _soul_ about that!" I cried, pointing a finger at the eavesdropping ninja. "Not even Nya!"

He acted a little puzzled by that. "Why not? I'm sure Cole would _love_ to know about this!"

"I just _met_ all of you! I can't be letting him know I feel this way so soon! I _shouldn't_ be feeling this way so soon! This is not like me!" I rambled, flustered. I turned on Sofiya. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming up behind me?!"

She shrugged her regret. "He moved pretty quickly, and you were going on about the wonderful Italian. I didn't want to interrupt."

I slapped a hand to my forehead. I could feel my fortifications crumbling around me. I didn't need any of the ninja thinking I was man-hungry! _How can I keep Jay quiet without killing him and hiding the body?_

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my stuff and turned to Sofiya. "I'm gonna head home with my humiliation now. I'll see you Thursday."

She reached out and grabbed my arm before I could walk away, with Jay trailing me. "Hey, girl, there're worse things than a guy knowing you care about him. Don't worry about it unless he doesn't feel the same. Not every guy is gonna treat you like Keiji did."

I grimaced at the name and nodded, sighing and patting her hand. "Thanks. I'm trying to remember that. Not successful yet." I glanced at my blue shadow and headed for the exit. "Come on, Jay, I'm starving. Let's go pick up something before we head back home."

Opening the door for me, he interjected, "Actually I got a call from Zane that he's waiting for us at your apartment with something he fixed earlier." _Tag, again_. "And who's Keiji?" he asked innocently.

"Just a guy I knew," I replied, heading to my car, not wanting to get into it with him. He seemed to accept that and moved in front of me to open my driver's door. These ninja were a really polite bunch.

When we had buckled in and were steering onto the street, he turned to me with a smirk. "Now, let's talk about Cole." However, they were also meddlesome.

I thumped my forehead against the top of the steering wheel when we stopped at a red light. "Could you just pretend you didn't hear anything about that?"

"Nope," he said, shaking his head emphatically. "Inquiring minds want to know. Spill the beans."

Sighing heavily, I considered how much I could allow myself to tell the nosy man in the seat next to me, the brother-in-arms of the man I could not get out of my head. I really needed to be saying these things to Sofiya, but Jay was available and eager, and already knew, so…_Here goes nothing…_

I took a deep breath and began blathering away. "I think he's fantastic, though not perfect, but so interesting, caring, dedicated, funny, charming. He was respectful and interested in what I had to say. I know he's trying to convince me to join the team, but he was never really pushy about it." I took a quick breath and continued before I lost my courage.

"We have things in common like sketching, reading, wanting to help people, being stubborn and strong-willed. He's already pulled a couple of stunts on me as payback for the way I acted toward him. He can dance and I can't, so he said even if I break his foot trying, he promised to teach me when I go to the _Bounty. _If I go," I corrected quickly.

I had been watching the road as I spoke, so I finally glanced at Jay for his reaction to my fast-paced confession. He was grinning at me in such a knowing way that I had to laugh nervously.

"Okay, I get that you think Cole's awesome, the way I think Nya is, but what's Keiji got to do with this?" he asked a little hesitantly.

Frowning, I answered bitterly, "Keiji was the first guy I thought I loved, the main reason I'm not with anyone now. After he broke my heart several times, and I ran out of tears, I finally kicked him to the curb and swore not to fall for someone quickly and risk that type of thing happening again."

"Cole's a better man than that. He wouldn't do that to you," Jay said with certainty, shaking his head.

"Cole can't know about this!" I insisted. "I've been hurt before. I want to be sure this time before I make myself so vulnerable."

"Hmm. That could take a while," he commented thoughtfully. "Have you decided about coming over to the _Bounty_?"

We were pulling into the lot by my apartment building. "Almost," I answered simply. I had pretty much made my decision, but I was still examining it before I announced it.

Zane was waiting by my door with a picnic basket when Jay and I parked nearby. _Ah, the cool, calming breeze…_ As fast as Jay seemed, Zane still beat him to my car door as I rummaged for my purse. _What's with the doors? _I wondered as I exited the car, greeted him warmly, and thanked him for the help._ Should I be tipping?_

"What'd you cook tonight, Zane?" Jay asked hungrily as we entered my apartment, following the ninja in white as he headed into the kitchen with his basket.

"Rigatoni in a butternut squash sauce with chicken breast, sweet peas, basil, and Asiago cheese," Zane informed him, sounding like a true chef. "With fresh fruit and tiramisu for dessert."

Jay seated himself at the small table, needing only a fork and knife in his hands to complete the amusing picture of an eager kid waiting to be fed.

I started pulling out plates as Zane was emptying his basket. "Thanks for bringing the food, Zane, but I really could have bought us pizza or something. Do ninja eat like this every night?" I asked, remembering the sumptuous meal he had prepared the night before, although I had had no appetite for it.

Divvying up the food onto three plates, Zane explained, "I tried to cook something special that Cole might appreciate. He was in poor spirits all day. Unfortunately, when I was leaving, he still seemed very preoccupied and was not eating very much."

I kept my head down as I poured iced tea into glasses, feeling guilty that his mood was my fault somehow.

"Yeah, he left us this morning looking a little upset over something," Jay stated as he waited for me to sit at the table before digging in. "Nya said he ruptured the heavy punching bag, but wouldn't say why."

Although I was focusing on my food, I knew he cast a glance at me. _How the heck do you break a heavy bag? _I wondered with amazement_._

Zane nodded after swallowing a bite. "He was quite aggressive while sparring with Kai, also, but said very little all day. He only told me what I could expect when I came here tonight." Turning to me, he continued, "He said he stayed at your bedside, but I believe you may be more comfortable if I stay outside instead…"

"Absolutely not," I said quickly. "There's no need for you to be uncomfortable, and I'll not have the police being called by the neighbors because they see you lurking outside."

Zane lifted his glass and scoffed a little. "The neighbors will not…"

I interrupted him with an impatient wave of my hand. "Cole and I had this debate last night, and where did _he_ end up?"

"Looks like you're a house cat tonight, Zane," laughed Jay over his plate.

Zane still looked ill at ease on the issue, but responded only with, "As you wish."

Patting his hand with a smile, I tried to make him feel less perturbed. "Don't worry, Zane. I didn't bite Cole, I promise not to bite you."

Jay didn't help smooth matters. "Unless you want her to," he said with a teasing wink.

Zane looked at his brother with confusion, then mortification as he comprehended Jay's suggestion. "I think _not!_" he exclaimed. "I would _never_ propose that to Arwyn!"

He looked so agitated, I had to laugh at his expression. "It's okay, Zane! We'll both be safe tonight."

"I'll say," Jay declared, stuffing in another bite of rigatoni.

Eyeing Zane fondly, I wondered what Sofiya would think of him. If I joined them, right?

****Cole's POV**

After finally cleaning up the sandy mess with Nya's help, and telling the guys a little about my time with Arwyn, I had wandered around the ship doing chores and odd jobs, trying to stay occupied.

Right after lunch, Kai, Zane, and I had decided to do a little sparring. We started out okay, but then they both started talking. _Couldn't you two just shut your traps and fight?!_

The conversation quickly turned to Arwyn and how we were going to train her if she came to stay with us. Zane reminded us then that he was going to her place overnight and mentioned he was going to cook something nice and bring her supper.

That was the first thing that irritated me.

At the time, Zane was watching us while Kai and I were circling each other, both of us looking for an opening to lay into the other. Kai held an oak bokken with both hands, as I quietly spun my bo staff around me, waiting for Mr. Impatience to attack.

Instead, he made the stupid remark to Zane that Arwyn was kind of hot and how he would turn tonight's 'excellent' supper into a date if he were him.

That was the second irritating thing. _Oh, gimme an excuse, Firewalker!_

Before he could finish the next idiotic comment about it being a good thing _he_ wasn't the one on the night watch, I suddenly stopped the spinning, swiftly seized the end of the bo staff with both hands like it was a scythe cutting wheat, and swept his legs out from under him.

Irritating thing number three_._

When he sprawled flat on his back, I sprang forward, ready to pin him to the deck with the staff. Although taken off guard, he stopped me by parrying with the bokken, somehow eluded me and jumped to his feet.

We just went at each other from there.

By the time I heard Nya yelling my name, the bokken was in splinters on the main deck, and I had pinned Kai by his shoulders on the steps to the quarterdeck. Both of us gripped the bo staff pressing against his upper chest, our teeth bared and sweat pouring.

Panting hard, I suddenly realized I may be hurting my fiery brother and pulled him to his feet with the staff. He faked a couple of gasps, then asked, "Where did _that _come from, Cole?! _I'm_ supposed to be the aggressive one!"

Zane was standing nearby with a concerned expression, holding another bokken for possible use on my head.

Lloyd and Nya were up on the quarterdeck outside of the bridge. The boy was cheering the action on, but Kai's sister stood with both hands on her hips looking at me like I needed to get a grip on something less tangible than the bo staff.

I glanced a little remorsefully at Kai, but toughened up again. "You need to be ready for anything," I said gruffly. "And show some respect for your future teammate!"

He laughed uneasily. "I usually am! And what did I say, anyway?"

I didn't answer as I strode away to remove my armor. _Seriously, what is up with me?_

Even Sensei was eyeing me oddly at supper time. He didn't say anything to me, like he knew I had been pissed this morning, but I knew he was watching me and thinking…

Anyway, after barely eating Zane's 'excellent' meal, although I did eat all of the tiramisu, I left the table as quickly as possible. Kai's voice grated on my nerves tonight, for some reason. Nya and Lloyd were the only ones I could manage to talk to civilly.

I spent the rest of the time before Jay got back doodling in the bunkroom, some of which wasn't suitable for children's eyes.

I had wanted to call Jay earlier, but I didn't want to look anxious or obvious about anything. Having Nya know how I felt was more than I had planned on already.

Finally, at about eight in the evening, I heard his inane laughter from the game room, and I hopped off my bunk and headed over there.

I found Jay and Nya snuggling on the couch. They were too busy to notice me. Jeez, he had only been gone about thirteen hours! But, then again, it had been almost that long since I'd heard anything about Arwyn, and _I_ was about to lose it. Go figure…

"Jay!" He leapt like a cat off of the couch and about six feet away from Nya when he heard my voice. Laughing nervously, he gasped, "Ah, dude! I thought you were Kai for a second."

"Got a little guilt, eh?" I smirked. Nya just giggled a little at Jay's reaction and threw her arms around his neck when he settled back down beside her. Honestly, they were quite cute together, but I had business to attend to.

Standing over them with my arms crossed over my chest, I went into ninja-leader mode and started grilling him. "Have you reported to Sensei?"

"Yeah, I just got done." He nuzzled Nya's neck, probably hinting that he had other things on his mind, and I should go, but he didn't give me my seat back at Arwyn's place this morning, so guess what, buddy?

Nodding, I said, "Good, good," ignoring his annoyed look when he realized I wasn't gone yet. _Get a room_. "How is Arwyn doing?" I tried to sound nonchalant, glancing purposely at Nya when she turned her attention to me and away from Jay. _Not a word!_

"Arwyn's fine, nothing happened," he replied somewhat evasively.

_Hmm…what happened? _"So did you talk to her about joining us?"

"Yeah. She said she's almost made a decision, but she didn't say much else…about that," he answered, adding, "Other than asking a few questions about what we do."

"How was her class?" I inquired with a smile. I was setting him up with this one.

"Good! I had women all over me—," he choked up when he remembered who was sitting next to him and started backpedaling rapidly. "Uh, I mean, she used me to demonstrate, just that, nothing else, and I didn't really even enjoy it!"

Nya rolled her eyes and blew it off. "Whatever." Jay glared at me.

"And then…?" This was like pulling teeth!

"I met a friend of hers, a yoga instructor…" Again he glanced nervously at Nya. "And we, uh, drove to Arwyn's place. Zane was there, and we ate supper, and I came back here. Nothing else. Nothing." He was killing me with the 'nothing' thing.

"I'm guessing she was okay with Zane staying overnight?" Although _**I**_ wasn't.

He laughed. "Zane's the uncomfortable one. He acted like he's never been around a woman before."

_Good. He can stay that way. _Thinking back to his evasiveness, I questioned, "Did she have anything important to tell you? About _anything_?"

Jay looked at me wide-eyed, then glanced away, saying, "No," quickly. The dude could not lie to save his life.

"What did she tell you, Jay?" I pressed with a forced smile. Did I have to torture him for information? Could I?

"Absolutely nothing!" he insisted, getting a little agitated. Nya cleared her throat and drilled me with a look. I figured I'd better back off before I got walloped.

I dropped my arms to my sides. "Okay, great. So long as everything's alright with her. Was Sensei satisfied with your report?"

"Heh. He didn't ask as many questions as _you_ did!" he scoffed, putting his feet up on the couch and pulling Nya onto his lap.

_What. Ever. _"Good job, Jay. Thanks for the briefing," I said, trying to sound like this had been official business. He looked relieved that I was done.

Nya gave me an understanding look as I turned to leave the game room, passing Kai and Lloyd with a nod as they were coming in.

As I walked back to the bunkroom, the yelling of the fire ninja at the one pawing his sister finally gave me a good chuckle.

**A/N: Jay just can't get a break today, but at least he _can_ keep a secret! R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wish I owned Ninjago, but I don't. A thousand "thank you's" to everyone for the great reviews! I REALLY appreciate them all!  
**

**#*#*Just out of curiosity, and because I want to see what I'm doing RIGHT, what's your favorite part so far? Let me know in a review or PM! It may help me with future scenes!  
**

****Arwyn's POV**

After Jay left for the _Bounty_, and I had washed the dishes, Zane and I talked for a while about life as a ninja. I then had to convince him that I didn't mind having him stay in the apartment while I showered.

Later, I spread out his pillows and blankets in the spot Cole had occupied, as the Master of Ice showered, wishing the whole time that a muscular ninja in black with damp bangs plastered against his forehead would come strolling out of the bathroom.

No such luck, but Zane was not a bad second.

However, when we settled down for the night, I started to wonder if I was going to have problems sleeping with him nearby. The intense cool feeling I got from Zane almost had me shivering, but I had gotten so little sleep after staying up most of the night with Cole that I must have passed out after firing only three more questions at Zane.

I woke to my alarm clock at six, slamming the offending instrument before pulling the comforter tighter around me against the cold and rolling over to face the window. I was a little surprised to see a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing there, gazing out.

My heart leapt, as my first thought, after 'intruder!', was 'Cole!', but then I recalled the night before and realized this guy was wearing white. "Good morning, Zane," I said as I sat up, trying not to sound disappointed.

He turned, smiling. "Good morning. I forgot to ask when you usually rise."

I tried to smooth the curls I knew were going in every direction. "Unfortunately, at this time. Have you been up all night?"

"Of course. I don't sleep on guard duty," he answered as he took one last look out the window before picking up his bedding.

"Don't you ninja sleep _once_ in a while?" I grumbled as I threw back my comforter and headed to the bathroom.

I took the time to dress in my scrubs and do my hair, since I wasn't sure how Zane would react to my robe and jammies. By the time I got into the kitchen, the good-looking ninja had already prepared breakfast.

"Zane, really? Pancakes and eggs?" I exclaimed with surprised pleasure. "Thank you so much, but why did you go to all the trouble? I usually only have toast and coffee."

"You need better than that," he said while he flipped a pancake onto a plate. "Especially when you begin training with us," he added coolly, giving me a sidelong glance.

I didn't answer him, just poured myself a cup of coffee, and leaned against the counter, watching him while he finished cooking. _I wonder what Cole is having for breakfast…_

"Zane, do you really believe I'm the Green Ninja?" I asked, but I knew his answer. Heck, _**I**_ knew the answer.

"Without a doubt," was his response as he placed the plate of hotcakes on the counter next to me. "I can sense the power issuing from you, waiting to be harnessed and honed." He held my gaze with his own ice-blue one for a long moment like he was searching for something. Strangely, it didn't make me feel even a bit awkward.

Unexpectedly, a penetrating warmth began at the back of my head and spread into my chest. It had nothing to do with Zane's stare, thoughts of Cole, or my sips of coffee.

"Kai's here," I noted. Zane regarded me without surprise, then turned his head toward the door when a knock came a few seconds later.

"You sensed him before I did," he observed as he walked to the door to let in the next tag-teamer.

Kai breezed in, dropping his Sword of Fire on the couch. "Hey, Zane! I smell pancakes!" When he entered the kitchen and saw me in the corner, he slowed his step to a swagger. "Good morning, Arwyn! You're looking quite refreshing, I mean, _refreshed_ this morning! I guess you didn't keep Zane up the way I hear you did with Cole." A sly smile and raised eyebrow punctuated his innuendo.

Zane rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen behind him, but didn't comment.

"Morning, Kai," I welcomed the attractive, but crazy-haired, man with a smile. "Yeah, I let Zane rest, although I don't think he took advantage of that and actually slept."

"Ah, Zane doesn't actually sleep most of the time, anyway," he said, looking over his shoulder at the ninja in white who narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "I mean, he does okay with just a little," he amended quickly.

Zane changed the subject. "Did you have breakfast before you left, Kai? I made plenty here for all of us."

Kai shook his head. "No, I didn't. Cole was making oatmeal or something, and I got worried about what he might put in mine. If it was even edible."

I cocked my ear at the mention of the ninja leader's name. Chuckling, I asked, "What's so bad about his oatmeal?"

"Oh, it's not just his oatmeal," responded Kai with a grimace while pouring himself a mug of coffee. "He's already not the greatest cook on the _Bounty,_ but then after the way he tried to rip me a new one sparring yesterday, I'm not sure if I want him near my food for a while. I'm still not certain what set him off."

"How did he act after I left?" inquired Zane as he plated breakfast.

Kai grabbed his share and followed me to the table. "About the same as he did the rest of the day. Moody and avoiding everybody. Nya and Jay were the only ones he really spoke to for more than a minute."

Jay's name made my heart leap into my throat. _Crap!_ Could he keep a secret, or did I need to plan an assassination? I tried to remain calm as I poured syrup over my pancakes. "Does Cole act like that very often?"

"Not really," replied Zane as he sat at the small table with his plate. "Usually only when he has a major issue that he is working on. He is fairly serious-minded and very responsible, but he does not have a difficult personality."

"But when he's pissed about something, pray you're not a target," Kai said between bites. "He can react immediately, like I do, but he can also be really quiet and sneaky about stuff, like the adage 'revenge is best served cold'."

I smiled to myself, thinking about how we had already butted heads, and he had then gotten my attention with the Tread Assault stunts. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Sitting back in his chair, Kai grabbed his mug and looked at me over the rim. "No pressure, but part of Cole's problem may be you, Arwyn."

He jolted me to attention with that. What did he know?! "Wh-what do you mean by that?" was all I could manage while avoiding eye contact.

"Cole likes to have control over things and get problems resolved as soon as possible," Kai explained. "The longer he waits for you to make a decision, the antsier he'll get."

"We also need to start your training without more delay," added Zane, as he snagged another pancake with his fork.

I sighed. Was I relieved or disappointed that that may be the only issue tormenting him? "No pressure, right?" I tried a little laugh. The fire and ice ninja just looked expectantly at me. I rose from the table and took my empty plate to the sink where I started preparing to wash the dishes.

"Well, I can't go at the moment. I'm due at work in less than forty-five minutes." I knew I had to give them a decision soon, but it was hard when I knew I was either going to be making a radical and terrifying change or throwing away a momentous opportunity. No pressure.

Kai hopped up from the table and added his plate to the sink as I rinsed the first dish. "Maybe the first three guys couldn't cut it, but I'll bet _**I**_ can convince you to come back with me before the day's up," he said with a cocky grin as he leaned on the counter next to me.

Zane unnecessarily leaned in between us to place his plate in the sink while facing Kai who had to lean back a bit to allow him space. "Perhaps a more _subtle_ approach would be best?" I heard him tell the Master of Fire in a low voice before he withdrew, taking Kai with him by the elbow.

They retreated to the living area where I couldn't hear much else. By the time I had finished the dishes, Zane was gearing up to go back to the _Bounty_, and it was time for me to get going to the clinic.

Before I could pull out my car keys in the parking lot, Kai had already transformed the Sword of Fire into his Blade Cycle and was gesturing for me to have a seat behind him. I sighed. _Why did I bother to do my hair this morning?_

Zane gripped a shuriken in each hand and was suddenly seated on his Snowmobile. The transforming of these vehicles would take some getting used to. "It was very pleasant spending time with you, Arwyn," he called to me over the roar of the engines.

"Thanks, Zane! I enjoyed being with you, too," I yelled back, adding, "Tell Cole I said 'hello'," before I could stop myself. I cringed inwardly. Zane only held up a thumb before taking off down the street.

Kai looked at me over his shoulder. "Cole? What about Jay?" he asked with suspicion.

"Well, you know, if I join you I should start making brownie points with the boss, right?" I replied with a little laugh, trying to cover my slip of the tongue.

He didn't answer, just faced forward and suddenly put the Cycle into gear, causing it to lurch forward and forcing me to grab him around the torso to prevent falling off. _Did he just do that on purpose?_ Without asking for directions, he turned the opposite of Zane, heading toward my clinic.

We spent the morning at the clinic talking between patients. The topics were pretty much the same as those I had covered with the previous three guys regarding ninja training and duties and my destiny, but Kai hassled me about a decision more than they had. He was determined to be the one to bring me in. I hoped he didn't plan on using handcuffs.

I finally decided it may as well be him, since it had been long enough, and I was tired of second-guessing myself. At about one, while we were grabbing a sandwich at the café next door, I got up the courage to ask, "Do you think I might be able to speak with Sensei Wu again tonight?"

Dropping his sandwich onto his plate without a word, the ninja in red immediately punched the comlink on his wrist, calling whomever might be on the _Bounty's_ bridge.

Cole responded from the small device sounding slightly breathless and anxious. "Kai, I'm here! What's wrong?" My heart leapt at the sound of his husky voice. _Okay, tone it down there…_

"Everything's fine," Kai answered impatiently. "Just wondering who's supposed to relieve me as guard this evening."

"I am! Why?" Cole shot back. _Yay! _I almost did a little dance in my chair_. Really? Chill, girl._

"Oh, well, don't bother," Kai replied curtly right before he broke off the communication and picked up his sandwich again with a smug look.

I took a bite of my sandwich to cover the annoyance I felt. Kai hadn't explained anything to Cole, and I had not been invited to talk to him!

A moment later, the comlink vibrated, probably indicating a call from Cole, but Kai didn't stop scarfing the sandwich. He noticed me watching him, and smiled back as he chewed.

I gave him a look a mischievous school boy would get for misbehaving as the comlink began a second round of vibrations. "Why won't you answer him, and why didn't you explain to him that you're bringing me to the _Bounty_ later?"

"Eh, I just want to mess with Cole," he said, shrugging. "He'll find out soon enough anyway when I arrive with the prize," he ended with a self-assured smile.

_It's no wonder he wanted to 'rip you a new one' yesterday_, I thought after witnessing this. "You don't even know if you'll be satisfied with my reason for seeing Sensei or not," I said, trying to deflate him.

"Oh, I know why you're going to see him. You're coming to stay," he declared firmly, adding, "Because it's the right thing to do, and you know it's your calling."

I opened my mouth to deny that, but shut it again. What was the point?

**A/N: What's gonna get broken now? Please R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: By now you know I don't own Ninjago, just my OCs;) This chapter is short, but I will torture you with more later! Thanks to all who have commented so far! You are too generous! Chocolate chip cookies to you all! Let me now what you think of the story!  
**

**Chapter 8**

****Cole's POV**

I had awakened well before Kai in the morning so I didn't have to see him leave for his turn with Arwyn. I figured if I busied myself with breakfast, it might not eat me up so much. It actually helped a little. The day was starting out alright.

Then at breakfast, no one complained about my oatmeal with pecans and fresh fruit salad, since there was nothing to complain about. But the icing on the cake was when Sensei informed me as he was leaving the dining room that I would be relieving Kai tonight. _YES! _It was about time!

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible, like IDGAF, but when I looked up at Nya, she had this big, stupid grin on her face, because she _knew_ it was a big deal. _Why did she have to catch me in a moment of weakness yesterday? I never should've caved!_ _No one should know._

As he finished his breakfast, even Jay had an odd expression, which wasn't necessarily unusual for him, but just didn't look quite right. He had this tight smile like he was struggling to _not_ say something, which _was_ unusual for him. What was up with him? Did he know something? Perhaps I could _threaten_ torture?

Later, since Lloyd had been bugging me to start training him in defense and weapons, that's what I was up to when Zane got back. I brought our session to a screeching halt when I saw the ice ninja climbing over the railing onto the deck with his picnic basket.

"Sorry, Lloyd, but we need to take a break. I gotta talk to Zane," I told the cracker-cruncher as I dropped the bokken I was holding and practically ran to meet Arwyn's last guard. I easily turned a deaf ear to Lloyd's complaining.

"Good morning, Zane," I greeted him with a grin. "How'd it go last night?" My heart thudded hard in my chest. _Please tell me absolutely nothing happened!_

"Good morning, Cole! It went very well," he stated. "Arwyn was a joy to be with and insisted that I stay in her room, just as you had." _Rats!_ "We had breakfast this morning with Kai before he took her to the clinic on his Cycle." _Double rats!_ "And I believe she may be very close to giving us her decision," he finished.

_Actually I wouldn't mind if she waited until tomorrow, _I thought. "Is that all?" I asked as he turned to head to the steps below deck, and I followed him. I needed to hear more about Arwyn.

"That is pretty much all. I am going to report to Sensei now," he said as he got to the top of the stairway, but then stopped and turned back to me. "Oh, I almost forgot. Arwyn said to tell you 'hello'." With that, Zane disappeared below deck.

I froze in my tracks, stunned. She was thinking about me. _**Me**__._

I slowly became aware of something hard poking me in the hip, and looked down to see Lloyd with the bokken looking up at me. "I _**said**_, 'When are we gonna get started again?'" he was apparently repeating with exasperation.

"Um, now, I guess," I answered a little dazedly with what probably looked like a really goofy grin. _When I get the little wings off my boots._

The rest of the morning I was in a pretty good mood. I still had trouble focusing on anything I was doing due to the fact that all of my thoughts continued to revolve around Arwyn and being with her tonight, but I was managing.

Lloyd seemed satisfied with our lesson and the extra attention I gave him. I really needed to do that more often. The poor kid needed a father figure in a bad way. I knew I was barely more than twice his age, but I really liked kids and Sensei had little time to spend with him, so I figured I would do. I couldn't actually see one of the other guys stepping up, except maybe Zane, but he tended to treat Lloyd more like a small adult.

He needed a mother, too. It was sad that he'd never really had one. He was almost the age I was when my mother left us, but at least I'd had one up until then, even if she wasn't the best. I hated to think he was going to grow up with none. Oh, well, there wasn't much _**I**_ could do there, and Nya treated him well, but was kind of young and not very maternal at this point.

I was hoping that Arwyn might help the kid out if she came, but after overhearing me talking to Zane about her, Lloyd had brought up the fact that she was destined to defeat his father and let me know he was upset over that. He also said that he didn't think she was very nice, and he wasn't going to like her. BIG sigh…

I just tried to explain to him that eventually somebody would've turned out to be the Green Ninja, and that she was really a lot different from the only time he had met her. I wanted him to give her a chance when she got here.

He seemed skeptical, but not unreasonable. That was all I could ask of him.

We were leaning on the railing on the quarterdeck talking about this after lunch when the communications call alert sounded. My heart lurched into my throat.

Dashing into the bridge, I skidded to a stop and grabbed the microphone to answer it. "Kai, I'm here! What's wrong?" I nearly gasped.

"Everything's fine," came his clipped answer. "Just wondering who's supposed to relieve me as guard this evening."

"I am! Why?" I shot back warily.

"Oh, well, don't bother," he replied shortly, right before hanging up on me. _He. Did. Not…_

"Kai? Kai!" I shouted into the mike as I saw the light indicating an open connection go out. _How dare he hang up on me!_ I immediately reconnected to his comlink and waited impatiently for him to answer.

He didn't. I tried again as I grew more frustrated. What was he up to? Was he trying to get out of being relieved? Was something wrong? HOW DARE HE NOT ANSWER ME!

"THAT SON OF A…," I roared as I turned and saw Lloyd standing in the door to the bridge. "…SNOTWAD!" Holding my breath, I stopped with the mike in my raised fist and, with great effort, placed it safely in its cradle instead of bringing it crashing down on the counter. I didn't need to break something else this week.

"Is Kai okay?" Lloyd asked worriedly.

"Not for long!" I snarled as I stomped past him to the quarterdeck railing which I gripped until it began to crack while taking a few deep breaths. Well, there went _my _great day.

_Okay, let's analyze the possibilities here before flying off the handle_. _He's getting back at me for yesterday. He wants to spend more time with Arwyn. He's bringing her back tonight. He's dead…If not, he will be_.

I wasn't scheduled to leave for Ninjago City for almost five hours, but I ached to go now and get my hands on Kai.

As if she knew I needed a distraction, Nya called from the main deck, "Cole! I just realized after talking with Zane that if Arwyn comes soon, we haven't fixed a place for her yet!"

I smacked myself in the forehead with a hand. I had been so caught up in obsessing about Arwyn and fighting myself over it that I had forgotten to actually prepare for her arrival. I directed Lloyd to stay in the bridge in case Kai called again and headed down to meet Nya who had already worked out a plan.

"We'll need to clean out the room down the hall from your bunkroom, the one with the extra sparring equipment. We can put that stuff in the weight room," she began, then continued rapidly. "She could stay with me, but my room is too small for even a twin bed, and we can get another full bed out of the storage room to set up in the new room, and maybe there's some other furniture in there, too."

I followed her below deck as she outlined her plan and started to give me orders about what needed to be done to set up a room for Arwyn before we had her sleeping on the couch in the game room. She didn't realize it, but she had probably just saved her brother's life by keeping me busy.

After a couple of hours of heavy lifting on my part and cleaning on hers, we had suitable quarters arranged for the Green Ninja.

On the right side of the room we had managed to set up a full-sized bed with Nya's extra linens and added a small table and chair next to that. A small trunk sat at the foot of the bed and a chest of drawers was placed against the back wall near the round window.

It was pretty sparse, so I hoped she wouldn't cringe when she saw it since there wasn't much to choose from and no time to do much else before I left for my watch.

When we called it done, I again tried contacting Kai several times, and he never answered. I wasn't certain if I should be anxious or angry, but I couldn't wait around any longer.

It was two hours before I was scheduled to leave, but almost time for Arwyn to get off of work. If I left now, I may get to her apartment as they were arriving. I would deal with the mutinous ninja then. God help him…

I grabbed my bag and told Zane I was leaving when I passed him in the hallway. He checked the watch on his comlink with a questioning glance, but only told me to stay safe. Within a couple of minutes, I was racing across the Sea of Sand toward the city.

**A/N: R&R! What do you like so far? Don't be lazy! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wishing I owned Ninjago! All I've got are my stories...ah, such is life. Enjoy and review!**

**Chapter 9**

****Arwyn's POV**

The flames enveloping the Blade Cycle were still messing with my psyche, although I had ridden this thing earlier in the day, and I knew that as the Green Ninja they posed no danger to me physically. Given that, I still got a kick out of how this vehicle so reflected Kai and his personality! He was definitely the bad boy of the bunch.

We had left the clinic as soon as I had closed my charts and grabbed my purse. Kai was way too impatient for us to go to my apartment so I could change out of my scrubs or get anything.

He had tossed me his hooded helmet and insisted I wear it, which I was now doing. It had an oddly pleasant scent similar to leather, wood smoke, and hair gel. Not surprising…

After riding much too fast through the desert for several minutes, we were still a few miles from the _Bounty_ when I spotted a dark vehicle and a cloud of dust heading toward us. As it rapidly drew nearer, I recognized it as the Tread Assault and unconsciously gripped Kai's waist a bit tighter with delight.

I guess he noticed that, because he grunted, "I see him," as Cole brought the black-and-gold vehicle to a sudden halt when we were almost half a mile apart, skidding in a half-circle, throwing up a bigger cloud of dust and sand.

Most of it had settled before we reached him, and I fully expected Kai to slow the Cycle and stop, but, to my disappointment, he didn't. The Master of Fire only smiled and waved as we sped past the ninja leader. I waved uncertainly as we passed, but I couldn't tell if he waved back since the glare of the late-afternoon sun made it impossible to see into the cockpit.

Checking back over my shoulder, I saw a rooster-tail of sand being churned up by the rear wheels of Cole's vehicle. He was now in hot pursuit.

"Um, Kai?" I shouted over his shoulder. "Remember what you said this morning about not wanting to be the target when Cole is pissed?"

Laughing, he replied, "I feel like living dangerously today! I'm not scared! Besides, he won't jump me in front of you." Oh, well. It was his butt, not mine.

Upon our arrival to the ship, Kai allowed me to dismount the Cycle before dispelling it. As soon as I hopped off, I saw the Tread Assault disappear behind us, and Cole landed on his feet running towards us with his scythe in his hand. From the look in his eyes, I wasn't certain if he didn't intend to use it soon.

Slowing his pace to a determined, long-legged stride, he approached Kai while jerking off his mask and hooded helmet, stopping within a couple of feet of his victim. "Why didn't you bother to tell me that you would be bringing Arwyn here tonight?" he began angrily. His voice was tense as I sensed he was struggling to keep from yelling. "We could have been better prepared with supper!"

He bowed up a little more in front of Kai as he went on. "And what's your problem about not answering me when I call you? _Anything_ could have been happening while you were playing some kind of game!" It had me making a mental note to get ready for this if I ever pissed him off good.

The ninja in black was a little taller and more powerfully-built than the one in red, but the latter refused to be intimidated and gave his leader a bored look with his hands on his hips as he waited for the cargo lifter to descend. "I told you not to bother coming, and we eat supper every night anyway. Besides, nothing happened, did it? What's the big deal?" was his only response along with a shrug and a small smirk.

Standing by quietly with a bemused expression, I simply watched the power struggle between the commanding earth ninja and the defiant fire ninja with my arms crossed in front of me. I didn't quite understand it, and I certainly didn't want to get in the middle of it.

I also noted with interest that the comforting solidity of Cole's element was back, but the pressure of it felt crushing at this moment, while Kai's heat was rising to a scorching level.

Speaking of heat, Kai's hooded helmet was making me a little warm, so while the two continued their squabble, I pulled it off and leaned over at the waist to shake out my hair. Standing up again quickly, I whipped my head back to get the hair out of my face. When I stopped and ran a hand through the tangled curls, I found that Cole had ceased his tirade and was silently staring at me like he was miles away.

Kai had his hand on the cargo lifter with a cross look as he addressed his inattentive brother. "Cole! I asked you if you're done with your lecture!"

Cole clenched his jaw and shook his head slightly before ignoring Kai, pushing his bangs back, and giving me an awkward smile. "It's great to see you again, Arwyn! H-How've the last couple of days been for you? I hope none of us have given you any trouble."

"They've been the longest couple of days of my life because I've been missing you!" was what I wanted to blurt out, but I caught myself. "They've been okay," I said indifferently instead. "My bodyguards have been very pleasant to be with and have hardly annoyed me," I continued, cutting eyes at Kai with a smirk before tossing his helmet back to him. "However, I've been told that I've caused _you_ a lot of problems."

I thought I saw a fleeting look of panic flash in Cole's eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. "Wh-what do you mean? You haven't caused me any problems at all!" he denied with a short, edgy laugh and a faint flushing of pink across his tanned, olive-toned cheeks. Was it wishful thinking that I thought he was lying?

I caught Kai watching the exchange between us with narrowed eyes and a cocked eyebrow. What was he seeing in Cole's reaction? Was I giving anything away?

"Come on, Cole," Kai interrupted as he entered the cargo lifter. "You know you've been grouching around here for the last two days! By the way, what'd you break this afternoon?" he inquired with a crooked, challenging grin.

Cole shot him an irritated look of warning through narrowed eyes as he gestured for me to step in ahead of him. Between clenched teeth, he said in a low voice, "Had I been able to get to you earlier, I'm sure there would have been something." I muffled a laugh. I didn't need to encourage this!

Kai just snorted as we rose to the main deck, and Cole turned his back on him. "Have you made a decision yet, Arwyn?" he inquired hopefully.

"That's why I'm here," I answered, attempting to sound upbeat, but suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline that made me queasy. He didn't get a chance to get more out of me before we cleared the railing and spotted Nya jogging across the deck toward us.

She welcomed us with a smile and a wave as we exited the lifter. "Hey, guys! We're really glad to have you back, Arwyn! Sorry not everyone is here to meet you, but Zane is working on his falcon, and it's Jay's turn to cook supper. As fast as he is at some things, he takes twice the time to cook," she said with a laugh. "You'll see them later, though."

"Zane's 'working on his falcon'?" I repeated with a confused look and a tilt of my head.

"Uh, Zane built a robot falcon to use as a scout," Cole spoke up with a quick glance at Nya. Her eyes widened and she added, "Uh, exactly!"

I thanked her as I spotted Lloyd who had been operating the lifter and still stood beside the controls. I smiled at the young boy and waved, but he didn't smile back and just barely raised his hand at his waist to acknowledge my greeting causing me to frown a bit with concern. He hadn't seemed that reserved two days ago.

Cole noticed Lloyd's subdued welcome and my reaction to it and leaned over to me. "Don't mind Lloyd. I'll explain his issues later. He's really a very cool kid." I just nodded. Turning to Nya, he asked, "Is Sensei in his quarters?"

"Yep," she answered as she headed for the bridge. "He's been meditating since way before you left."

"Well, I'm sure he won't mind if Arwyn interrupts him," Cole surmised, smiling confidently as he looked down at me. With a gloved hand on my right elbow, he began to lead me to the stairway to below deck. "Come, I'll take you to him."

Kai stepped up quickly to my left, placing a hand on that elbow. "Excuse me! _**I**_ brought her back, I can take her to Sensei," he said firmly as he attempted to guide me away from the ninja of earth. Wow, I was getting two escorts.

Cole held my elbow with his brows knit, stopping Kai's forward progress. Seriously, was this some kind of tug-of-war? "As the team leader, I usually take care of these things, Kai. You really don't have to concern yourself…"

"You mean you 'get the glory', in other words?" Kai taunted with a little sneer, still holding my other elbow.

"'Glory'?" Cole repeated, frowning with derision. "We're not talking about a trophy here, you nitwit."

Peering at each in turn I wondered what exactly they were arguing over. I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or not.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully extricated myself from between the two handsome ninja as the quibbling went on and slipped away unnoticed, leaving the two to settle their spat. I could find my way back to Sensei Wu on my own. I really needed to get this over with as soon as possible before I changed my mind.

As I reached the foot of the staircase and turned in the direction of Sensei's quarters, I figured from the sudden silence behind me that my absence had been noticed and the tiff had come to an end. Running footsteps were following me down the steps and into the dark hallway.

If my stomach hadn't been in such a knot, I would have gotten a good laugh out of their undignified chase, but I could barely grin at it at the moment.

Kai slipped past me to lead our little parade while Cole slowed behind me and brought up the rear. Neither said a word as we continued down the poorly lit passage, but I guessed that my escape must have cooled things down since their elements were now less oppressive.

At least I wouldn't have that distraction while I grappled with a more critical issue.

****Sensei Wu's POV**

The heady scent of frankincense was the first thing I became aware of as I began to come out of my meditative trance. The next thing that pushed its way into my consciousness was a surge of uncontrolled power.

My spine stiffened. Arwyn. She was near. Finally, she had returned to me with her decision. My pulse quickened, but I focused again and slowed it.

Then something negative stirred. Indignation and …testosterone?

I pushed that away and continued to allow myself to slowly become more attuned to my physical surroundings. Brisk footsteps sounded down the hall before a knock came at the door. I gave permission for the visitor to enter, and Kai abruptly stepped into the room and bowed. Without preamble he announced, "Sensei, I've brought Arwyn to see you."

My proud fire ninja moved aside, and Arwyn walked tentatively into the small room. Behind her was Cole who stood in the doorway looking quite stern and alert when he glanced at Kai, but his demeanor softened and warmed when he gazed at Arwyn.

_Ah, this confirms the strong feelings I noted in Cole yesterday, as well as his distracted mood_, I mused. Apparently these two young men were also the source of the disturbance. Had a rift begun? _I will have to address this soon._

I tried to ignore their possible rivalry for now and rose from my mat with a smile, bowing before extending my hands to Arwyn. "I am honored that you have returned to see me," I said fondly as she bowed, then carefully placed her hands in mine. "Please sit, and we will have tea."

Glancing at Cole, I nodded the ninja's dismissal as Arwyn and I knelt in seiza facing one another on the mat. He bowed and motioned sharply for Kai to follow him out, giving Arwyn an encouraging smile. She shyly returned the look before he closed the door behind them. _That reciprocation did not take long, _I thought with concern_._

When we were alone, and each of us had a cup of hot oolong, I spoke to the young woman quietly. "Cole has told me how your power has begun to proclaim itself." Her eyes held a questioning look. "Your increased strength and ability to sense the elements of the masters," I elaborated.

"Oh, yeah, that," she acknowledged as she sipped the tea. "I hope I can get used to it."

With that comment, she gave _**me**_ hope. "Have you come to a decision?" I asked in anticipation.

Looking at me, her eyes held a small amount of fear as I could sense her inward struggle to summon her courage. But instead of answering my question, she posed a new one to me. "You said earlier that I was destined to be the Green Ninja. When was this destiny set?"

Without a pause, I answered, "Before your birth."

She swallowed hard. "I was born for this," she whispered reflectively, setting down her cup.

"You and the four Masters were all born at this particular point in time in order to work together for this special purpose," I clarified. "The timing of your birth was no accident."

Folding her hands in her lap, she lowered her head for a long moment. The world was still around us. I could sense the turmoil within her and yearned to reach out to touch her shoulder, to comfort and strengthen her, but I held back.

When she lifted her head, her eyes shone with unshed tears, but the fear in them had been replaced by steadfastness. Her next words filled me with elation.

"Then I want to stay here and be trained and used as the prophecy foretold." Her shoulders relaxed, and the tension left her face as she finally voiced her life-changing decision. She smiled at me as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm just going to need a lot of help!" she laughed nervously.

I smiled back at her comfortingly. "You will have me and four eager spinjitzu masters to teach you everything. You will not be alone."

**A/N: It might seem that I'm dragging this out, but I'm building up to other stuff. Bear with me and review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Don't own Ninjago. AARGH! I hate writer's block! Please tell me I did okay with this chapter! Review, I shamelessly beg of you!**

**Chapter 10**

****Cole's POV**

I shut Sensei's door behind me and mentally face-palmed for the tenth time since my stupid little squabble with Kai. I don't even know where that came from for either of us, but we both made ourselves look like idiots in front of Arwyn.

Then when she walked off, we were so wrapped up in our pissing contest that we didn't even notice she had left us for a moment. Some ninja!

Now Kai walked silently ahead of me down the hall heading for the bunkroom, shrugging off his armor as he went. I really wanted to hit him with a running tackle, but figured that would only make matters worse at this point. I could get him later. And I would.

Following him into the room, I shut the door behind me. He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow as he opened the armoire. I ran a hand through my hair, pushing my bangs away from my eyes. "Um, about that…thing…we had," I started clumsily, unsure of what to say.

"No biggie, we're cool," he responded casually with a wave of his hand and a neutral expression as he put away his things.

"What _was_ that?" I asked anyway with a puzzled look. I wasn't very angry about _that_ any more, just wondering what he was getting at when he pulled it. I shed my armor, also, however, just in case this turned into a wrestling match.

"Just trying to get equal time with Arwyn, get credit for getting her here." He turned to face me and probably saw 'are you kidding me?' written all over my features.

"You know she's in there right now telling Sensei she wants to join us, right?" he went on while leaning against the armoire with a big-headed grin. "That's because I talked her into it."

"Really?" I said with more than a little skeptical sarcasm. The credit thing was no big deal to me, but I didn't like the other part of his comment. "And what do you mean about 'equal time'?"

He shrugged, still grinning. "You know. You and Zane can't be the only ones spending time with the new girl."

That rankled me immediately, but I slowed my reaction time before I gave myself away. Instead, I became a bona fide hypocrite. "She's not the 'new girl'. She's our new teammate, the prophesied Green Ninja. We will be training and protecting Arwyn, not competing for her attention," I said sternly.

I could not believe that came out of my mouth. I had just spent the last day doing nothing but thinking about her and liking how that made me feel. I had gradually forgotten to persecute myself for those same unrestrained thoughts, putting the reality of who and what she was to the wayside.

Now it was coming back to bite me in the butt. I had to set a better example for the team, and I had to start now. I couldn't have Kai running after her when I was trying not to do that.

"Come on, Cole," Kai looked at me like I was an idiot. "Don't tell me that's the only way you think of her. I'm not blind." Damn! What was I doing wrong? I usually had a better poker face.

I was going to have to work hard to control this. "We have a responsibility to train, respect, support, and protect her. Nothing else," I repeated more determinedly, for his benefit and mine.

Rolling his eyes, Kai walked around me and toward the door, giving me a dismissive wave. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that." I reached out to grab him by the collar and haul him back, but Lloyd ran past him and up to me in a tizzy, making me pull up short.

"She's here to stay, isn't she?" he spoke rapidly in an accusing tone. "She's here to learn how to fight my dad! Why'd she have to come? Why does she want to be the one to kill him?" He looked up at me with a distraught expression like he was about to get teary-eyed.

_Crap! What else do I have to deal with? _I rubbed my face with both hands before heaving a sigh and placing my hands on his shoulders. "Lloyd, calm down. You know the story of the prophecy," I began slowly. "She's not here because she wants your father to die. She just wants to do what's right and help bring peace back to Ninjago." His look told me he didn't care about all that. He just didn't want anything to happen to his father, even if Garmadon deserved it.

"Look, just give her a chance to show you that she's not evil or anything, okay? I think you'll really like her, I know I do." I cut myself short at that. Dropping one hand from his shoulders, I guided him toward the hallway with the other. "Come on, let's go hang out in the game room while we wait for Jay to call us for supper. Have you gotten any better at that new game we picked up last week?"

He suddenly switched gears and started to tell me all about how many worlds he'd already conquered and what it took to defeat each villain as we started down the passageway to join everyone else in the game room. I let him talk my ear off about the game while we and Nya watched Kai and Zane play another one.

After about half an hour of that, Jay appeared to let everyone know that his latest culinary concoction of ramen noodle and tuna casserole with raw carrot sticks was ready to be served. O-kaay. And they talk about my meals? At least we had ice cream for dessert.

Right behind him, Sensei finally arrived, leading Arwyn into the game room. I stood immediately, feeling my pulse quicken with concern as I took in her flushed countenance. She had been crying, but Sensei looked delighted. She smiled timidly at everyone around the room, her eyes coming to rest on me.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and announced, "Arwyn has decided to join us in our fight. Cole, you will be responsible for directing her training by the elemental masters." He looked around at everyone gathered and added, "And I am sure that you will all respect and support her appropriately in her appointed role." Like I needed another reminder.

Everyone welcomed her enthusiastically with the exception of Lloyd. He hung back and sulked, and I didn't try to force him to do or say anything.

Nya hugged her tightly, saying how glad she was to have another woman on board, followed by Kai who did and said the same like he was trying to be funny. He was not.

Jay characteristically offered Arwyn a fist-bump, and Zane patted her shoulder affectionately.

When I got to her, I longed to pull her into my arms and only let her go when she begged me to, telling her that I'd been missing her all my life and how ecstatic I was that she was finally here. Instead, I did as I had seen Sensei do earlier, offering her my hands and giving hers a squeeze while saying I was glad to have her join us.

I could have imagined it, but I may have seen a flash of disappointment in her eyes, although she quickly replaced it with a questioning look.

She spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear. "You said two days ago that you and the others would teach me to control this power and that you would not leave me." Her gaze locked with mine. "Is that a promise?"

"I would have to be dead, otherwise," I declared without hesitation, surprising myself.

She continued to regard me with a thoughtful expression for a long moment. It took me that long to notice that I had a grip on her hands that should have been uncomfortable for her, but she wasn't even trying to pull away.

I grudgingly released her, however, when Kai called to us from the doorway that everyone was heading to the dining room. He had a watchful expression as I walked past him. For the hell of it, I faked a punch to his gut, making him flinch and jump back a little. That brought a small smile to my face.

We ate our questionable 'welcoming' supper since Kai had not bothered to inform us of Arwyn's attendance, and Jay always opted for meals that took minimal preparation. She was gracious enough to compliment him anyway, and commented that the meal choices took her back to her college days. Jay was oblivious.

Before retiring to his quarters, Sensei let me know that he and Arwyn had agreed she would stay the night with us, but that she had things to attend to in Ninjago City the following day. I assured him that she would be well taken care of as he bid us all 'good night'.

When we had eaten all of the chocolate ice cream with chocolate cake chunks, Nya rose from her seat saying, "Arwyn, why don't Cole and I show you to your new room? I'm pretty sure I can find a new toothbrush somewhere and a comb, and I may have something to sleep in that'll fit you." She stepped back and gave Arwyn the once over as my new teammate fidgeted slightly under the scrutiny. "You're taller than I am, but not much bigger otherwise. Come on, girl."

Kai stood and started to follow us, but was noticed by Nya as well as me. "I think Jay may need a little help with the cleanup, Kai," Nya said quickly, stopping him with a look and adding sweetly, "Would you be a dear and please give him a hand?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, but turned to head into the kitchen, grumbling as he went. _Way to go, Nya!_ I gave her a grateful look when she glanced at me. Maybe having her know my secret wouldn't be so bad after all.

As soon as I poked my head into Arwyn's new room after she and Nya entered it, I noticed something that had not been there when I had left this afternoon. Arwyn thanked us for the effort we had made and commented how the simplicity was a metaphor for a new beginning. All I could see was the large bowl filled with beautiful fuchsia and red-orange cactus flowers which sat on the bedside table. _Where the hell…?_

Nya saw my vexed expression as I watched Arwyn lift a flower the color of a sunset and hold it to her lovely face, breathing in its sweet fragrance with a contented sigh. With an apologetic smile to me, she explained that Zane had spied the flowers on his falcon's monitor early in the afternoon and had retrieved them while I was out, saying they would help soften the room. Great. Now Arwyn was getting flowers from Zane. What next?

Nya excused herself to gather toiletries and clothing for Arwyn, leaving us alone for a few minutes. I leaned against the doorjamb as Arwyn sat on the colorfully-quilted bed and sighed. I expected her to comment on the room or the transition, but she came up with something else. "You said you'd explain something about Lloyd. Why doesn't he like me?"

Well, crud. I didn't expect to have to talk about that tonight, but I sat down next to her and proceeded to give her a quick synopsis of his father, his background, his role in the Serpentine's release, and his awareness of the prophecy.

Flopping back on the bed with her hands on her forehead, she breathed, "Great. No wonder the poor kid hates me."

"He doesn't actually hate you," I defended Lloyd quickly, leaning back to rest on my elbows. "He just doesn't want you to kill his father," I finished up matter-of-factly.

She moved her hand to look at me and raised an eyebrow. "That's something I'd like to avoid, as well."

"But it's something you have to be prepared to do," I said with all seriousness. She closed her eyes with a pained expression.

Letting my eyes run along the length of her stretched out on the bed, it was all I could do to resist touching her. The thin material of the purple scrubs looked soft, and I wondered what she was wearing beneath it… _Damn it, Cole! Green Ninja! Green Ninja! Green Ninja!_

Nya saved me by returning at that point with her treasures and handed them to Arwyn after we both sat up again. "I think this'll get you through the night, then tomorrow you'll get your own stuff."

Arwyn laughed a little. "If Kai hadn't been in such a hurry this afternoon, I'd have my stuff now."

As if on cue, the fire-starter stuck his head in the door. "Hey, the point was to get you here, okay? Now let's get you out of this boring room and check out some expert video gaming." With that, he stepped into the room, grabbed Arwyn by the wrist, and pulled her out into the hall and away from me.

I rose quickly from the bed and started to follow them to the game room, beginning to get ticked off with my intruding brother. Behind me, I heard Nya say quietly, "I warned you, Cole." I paused for a second with my hand on the doorjamb and nodded acknowledgement without turning toward her before I exited the room.

Arwyn wasn't into video games, but politely endured about an hour of watching the guys play from her spot on the couch next to Kai, laughing at the shenanigans and occasionally encouraging Lloyd in his efforts against the game.

I stayed out of the playing, sitting in one of the beanbags flanking the couch, brooding about Kai's recent activities and watching Arwyn next to him. It was so good to have her here with us, and I hoped I would sleep better now than I had last night when Zane was with her, but I doubted it.

She'd soon had enough and begged to be excused to find the shower and get ready for bed. Tomorrow she'd be rising early to get to Ninjago City to resign, pack a few things, and take care of loose ends.

Before I could get up and offer to take her, Nya was dragging her out of the room, telling her she'd be using the bathroom down the hall from their rooms. Arwyn waved 'good night' to everyone and disappeared.

Later that night, after everyone else in the bunkroom had fallen asleep, I was still lying awake, staring up at the bottom of Jay's bunk, listening to the snoring above me, my thoughts on Arwyn. She was just down the hall, no more than thirty feet from me. I had been resisting the compulsion to check on her, but could finally do so no longer.

Throwing back the covers, I carefully got out of bed and checked to see that my three brothers and Lloyd were still sleeping peacefully. Kai's arm hung off his bunk, and I kinda hoped he wouldn't end up on the floor, but I wasn't waking him to prevent it.

Silently leaving the bunkroom, I padded barefooted in my black T-shirt and plaid pajama pants the short way down the hall to Arwyn's room. Upon reaching her door, I quickly noted that it was open a crack and apprehensively pushed it wider while whispering her name.

The room was empty, the quilt missing from the bed, and my first thought was that something bad had happened to her. My second thought was that she had left. My heart began racing as I hurried into the hall to check for lights under the bathroom door and Sensei's and Nya's doors, the game room. Nothing.

_Surely she didn't leave. Please don't let her have left! _My next place to check was the main deck. Noiselessly running up the steps to the outside, I stopped abruptly three steps shy of the top of the staircase when I saw her form standing by the starboard railing near the prow about fifty feet away.

Sighing with relief, I stood on the step and watched her for a while. The moon was nearly full and cast a silver light over the deck, so I could easily see her as she leaned on the railing, barefooted, wrapped in the bed's quilt against the chilly breeze that gently blew over the desert. What had brought her out here, and what thoughts were going through her mind as she gazed up at the stars?

My own thoughts were disrupted when I suddenly heard her call out to me. "Are you going to stand there all night, Cole? Or are you going to come and talk to me?" I was stunned. She stood with her back to me and had not even turned her head for the several minutes I had been here. I had made no sound. How did she know I was even here?

Collecting myself again, I covered the distance between us and met her at the railing. She smiled warmly up at me and pulled the quilt tighter around her. I leveled my eyebrows in a quizzical way and asked, "How…?"

"I can sense your element," she said simply, looking intently at me.

Elation surged through me, but I quelled it and replied with confusion, "I thought you told me you couldn't."

"I was wrong. I realized that when you left me with Jay and a huge void opened up in me." She looked away from me into the night. "I knew you had been there then."

I swear I felt like dancing! Somehow I controlled my happy feet. "So, what am I like?" I asked, hoping I sounded aloof.

"Solid and heavy like rock. A sense of well-being, protection, strength, security," she answered right away. "Overall, a nice, comforting feeling. The others are going to take some getting used to," she went on. "I'm going to have trouble sleeping with Kai and Jay around. They're irritating and energizing." I could understand that.

"Zane gives off a little too much of a chill sometimes. However, I'll have no trouble sleeping with you." Her eyes widened and she straightened up as she realized what that sounded like and quickly amended it. "Nearby! I mean with you nearby!"

I looked away to cover my smirk. I was glad that my element didn't disturb her, but I liked her uncorrected comment better. _Cole!_ _Green Ninja! Green Ninja! Green Ninja, already! _This mantra was becoming automatic_._

The breeze picked up a touch, causing a little shiver to go through me and goose bumps to prickle along my arms. Arwyn noticed and opened the quilt from around her, revealing the snug-fitting T-shirt and blue capri pants of Nya's she was wearing.

"Wanna share the blanket?" she asked innocently, apparently having no idea how enticingly seductive she was to me. My eyes flicked over her, and I swallowed hard before hastily grabbing the edges of the quilt and pulling it closed over her again.

"Um, no, that's okay, I'm not really cold." My mouth had suddenly gone dry. "But before it gets any cooler, maybe we should go on to bed. It's really late," I suggested as I turned her toward the portal to the lower deck.

Arwyn let me lead her to her door where she dropped the blanket, tossed it onto the bed, and faced me. Standing so near and reaching up, she playfully flicked my bangs away from my eyes where the wind had blown them, saying with a smile, "I'm sorry you have someone else to worry about, but thanks for checking on me. I hope we both get some sleep tonight." _Dear, God, does she have **any** idea what she's doing to me?_

I didn't dare look down at her, instead I peered over her shoulder into her room and knew I wasn't going to sleep much. "I don't mind at all. It's what I'm here to do," I replied. Then I lightly patted her shoulder, said 'good night', and walked down the passageway to my bunkroom, grudgingly patting myself on the back for my self-control.

Treating her like nothing more than a teammate was going to be one of the toughest things I'd ever done in my life.

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who's been so great about keeping me going, especially birthdaypi, ninjago1019, Blackrose Fighter, Ininjago2010, Live2Love, and Ninjago Cat! Ooh, that's everybody who's been sweet enough to let me know I'm doing alright! You are da BOMB! **

**If anyone else thinks I'm doing OK, let me know! Have a great week!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I love you guys! Thanks so much Hersheychoco101, ImaNinja, Keiko the ninjakitty, Iheartninjago2010, and Live2Love for the wonderful feedback after a chapter I wasn't very sure about! **

**(BTW Hersheychoco101, I loved how specific you were about what I _wasn't _screwing up on, and I'm addicted to this kind of spam!:) Hope I can keep this up!_  
_**

**P.S. I added a couple of lines of Cole's to the last scene of Ch. 10 (deck/good night). Not much, but if you care... And I don't own Ninjago, just my OCs.  
**

**Chapter 11**

****Arwyn's POV**

_Oh. My. God. Did he just pat me like I was some kid? He didn't even __**look**__ at me as he said 'good night'! _

In disbelief, I watched him march down the hallway until he entered the bunkroom and closed the door without looking back. I thought we had a little more between us than _that_. I didn't expect a kiss at my door, but I wouldn't have stopped him. This reminded me a lot of two nights ago when he started to kiss me, but unexpectedly drew back. What the heck?

Normally, I would have been scolding myself for being like this, but I was actually thinking more and more that he was not some random guy I had to shield myself from to prevent heartbreak. His earlier comment about not leaving me unless he was dead had kinda clinched it.

I was more than a little disappointed as I went back into my room, wondering what I had done or said to make him seem so distant. Before closing the door, I heard a loud thud from the bunkroom, followed by groaning, cursing, and finally the laughter of two or three of the guys. I closed the door slowly, thinking if they needed a nurse, they knew where to find me.

Sliding under the covers and pulling them tightly around me to combat Zane's glacial aura, I could feel Kai's warmth a little more than usual. He must have been the source of the cursing. Funny how the ice and fire ninja didn't cancel each other out, however.

I lay there trying to concentrate on Cole's element to relax. Like I had told him, I should have no trouble sleeping with him nearby. Right nearby.

I woke to someone shaking my shoulder gently. "Arwyn?" Cole was whispering not far from my ear. Cracking one eye, I looked up at him. "Hey, good morning! You don't have a clock or anything, so I thought I'd wake you at our usual time so we can get breakfast and go on into the city," he said in a much-too-cheerful voice for before dawn.

"What's the 'usual time'?" I whispered back, snapping my eye closed, and rolling over onto my back. I forced myself to open my eyes again.

"It's about 5:35 now." Standing by the bed, I could barely see his face in the dim light.

"Mmm." I stretched, running my hands through my hair as I did so. "If I don't get a clock, can I get you to wake me every morning?" I asked lazily with a little smile.

I thought I saw his eyes widen and his eyebrow twitch, but my eyes were still a little blurry. _Why the hell did I just say that? Am I still half asleep?_

He only answered, "Um, I'll let you get up and dress, and I'll meet you in the dining room," before nearly dashing from the room.

Rats! Where did I come _up_ with that? I rose dutifully and grabbed the clothes and toiletries Nya had given me while rubbing my eyes. I was still cursing Kai for not giving me time to get an overnight bag before coming to the ship when I walked out into the hall and nearly collided with Sensei Wu.

"I am _so_ sorry, Sensei!" I exclaimed, bowing before him. He held a large rectangular box as he bowed in response. "Not to worry, child," he said with a chuckle. "I brought something for you." He walked past me into my room and placed the box on the bed as I followed him in anticipation.

Removing the lid, and reaching inside, he brought out an evergreen gi similar to those worn by the Masters. I gasped when I saw it. This Green Ninja thing was getting more and more real to me.

Still in the box were a matching hooded helmet and mask, black gloves and tabi boots with socks, chrome-covered shoulder armor and back scabbard, a brown, leather utility belt, and a brown, padded-leather vest.

I really would have preferred to be the Purple, Red, or Black Ninja, but I wasn't telling him that.

Holding it up, "Oh, my God. Thank you," was all I could say until I turned it around and saw the repulsive snake coiled around itself on the back. I really loathed snakes. "Um, why a snake? Why not, like, a flower of tranquility like you have?"

"The Serpentine have become nearly as great a threat to Ninjago as Garmadon and will eventually ally themselves with him. I have had visions that you will bring about their downfall as well as the dark lord's. The symbol is their warning," he explained.

Okay. Loading a little more responsibility on me there, now. I still didn't understand why I had to wear a snake on my back, but at least I couldn't see it while I wore it.

"Thank you so much, Sensei!" I repeated. "May I wear it today?" I asked, eager to see if it fit and make myself more a part of my new team.

"Indeed," he answered, looking down at Nya's clothing which I had placed on the bed near the box. "It will keep you from having to wear that _very short _skirt to breakfast," he continued with a disapproving tone. _Note to self: must dress conservatively around Sensei._

I wanted to hug him, but wasn't sure how he may react to that, so I merely placed a hand on his shoulder as he moved to leave the room. "Thank you again, for everything so far."

He paused long enough to look at me with shining eyes, nod, and say, "Thank _you_ for finally coming to us," then walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

I walked into the dining room a few minutes later feeling quite proud in my new uniform, although I was wearing just the gi and boots. I was, however, still cursing the one in red for my inability to control my frizzy hair and dark circles. Oh, well, guess I'd better get used to it.

Everyone was already there and starting to serve themselves when Jay noticed me. "Awesome, Arwyn! Now you really look like the Green Ninja!" Everyone at the table looked up at me as he spoke.

"It fits you perfectly. Sensei must have had that gi resized, 'cause otherwise, Kai wouldn't have been able to get into it a few weeks ago!" he laughed. Cole, Zane, and Nya joined in the laughter while Kai turned red. Lloyd and Sensei didn't seem to get the joke. I didn't either.

My new leader got up from his seat as I walked around the table to the only unoccupied spot at Sensei's right, apparently now officially my place. Sitting across from Cole, I could tell he had gotten about as much sleep as I had, which wasn't much. He still smiled broadly as he complimented me on my outfit and passed me coffee, tea, and vegetable omelets.

"So, what all will we be doing today?" he asked as he clicked into his planning mode.

"Well, I'd like to extend Dr. Kita the courtesy of a resignation instead of just not showing up, so we could start with that before eight," I began as I clung to my mug of revitalizing coffee.

"After that, I want to see my friend Sofiya at the Fitness Center to ask her about maybe subletting my apartment. She lives in a crummy part of town and hasn't been happy there for a while." I ticked down my mental list. "We could sell my car, and I need to pack clothes and a few of my things…"

Leaning over the table, Kai piped up at this point. "I can go with you and help out with that." _Well, that's nice of him…_

Cole had been going for a bite of omelet, but his head popped back up instantly. "Sorry, Kai, but Zane already agreed to come with us," he said hurriedly while shooting a look at the ice ninja whose attention centered on Cole at mention of his name.

"I…did," Zane nodded uncertainly, seeming to catch Cole's meaning. "I'm going to help pack." He quickly went back to his tea, avoiding Kai's glare.

Cocking an eyebrow as he looked at the fire ninja, Cole continued, "And you said last week that you were going to organize the weapons room. Did you?"

Kai frowned. "Well, no, but…" Uh, oh.

With his brows arched, Cole jumped on it. "Today's a good day for that, then, isn't it?" He resumed munching his omelet as he considered the subject closed, and the Master of Fire fumed. "Anything else?" he asked me after having another sip of coffee and ignoring Kai. I swear I saw Sensei smirk under that mustache.

It was time for me to start my campaign for Lloyd's acceptance or at least his tolerance. I assumed a thoughtful pose before saying, "Yeah, there's a graphic novel I'd like to check on at one of the comic book shops called…"

"Doomsday Comix?!" Lloyd interrupted excitedly, losing control of his fork which ended up in Nya's plate. Nya quietly handed him the utensil with a slightly ticked off face.

"That's it!" I confirmed happily as I leaned over my plate pointing at Lloyd. "Do you go there often?"

His demeanor suddenly became pouty. "The guys never bring me there. They say comic books are stupid."

I exaggerated a shocked gasp and glared across at Cole who gave me a 'what'd I do?' look. 'They. Are. Not! Graphic novels are a true form of literature and art combined! How dare you try to repress that!" He started to get a defensive attitude, but when I kicked him lightly under the table he suddenly caught on and concealed his smile with his mug. Addressing Lloyd again I said, "I really like 'ElvishQuest'. What's your favorite graphic novel?"

"I'd love to find an issue of 'Starfarer'," he replied animatedly with wide eyes.

"Well," I said, glancing at Cole out of the corner of my eye. _Play along here_. "Maybe you could come with us today." Lloyd looked eagerly at the earth ninja.

Falling into his role as if we had rehearsed it, Cole chuckled and shrugged. "I guess the more, the merrier."

Lloyd whooped, but Kai scowled at Cole. "Then why can't I go, too?"

Cole placed his mug firmly on the table and shook his bangs off his brows a little as he replied. "Because you have work to do, I didn't plan on emptying the ship, and I never even see you read."

"I wasn't wanting to go to read," Kai mumbled crossly under his breath.

"I'm very aware of that," Cole mumbled back, growling a bit, as we all rose from the table and brought our plates to the kitchen.

Jay sidled up to me as we walked out of the kitchen, saying, "How about we check out the infirmary for your approval before you go to Ninjago City? You may want to restock while you're there. We don't have a lot of stuff and some of us tend to be accident-prone."

I followed his amused gaze to Kai, whom I finally noticed had a new abrasion on his chin. Walking up to him to examine it, I cocked my head and asked, "Did you cut yourself that badly shaving?"

He sheepishly glanced away, saying, "No, I fell out of bed." Well, that explained the late-night thud.

Jay grabbed my arm and led me away from Kai and in the direction of Sensei's quarters. "Oh, he's fine! He stopped bleeding after a while."

Nya stuck her head out of the kitchen as we headed away, calling, "Jay, get back in here when you're done and help me with these dishes!"

"I won't be long, babe," the lightning ninja called back over his shoulder. "She's so sexy when she's slave-driving," he said dreamily.

The infirmary was just down the hall from Sensei's quarters, and I cringed when we entered it. It was about the size of my small bedroom with a narrow cot on one wall, two tall cupboards on another wall, and a washstand with a basin and pitcher between them. The cupboards held little more than adhesive bandages, some gauze dressings, and antibiotic ointment.

I scanned the room, hoping to find more, but was unsuccessful. "Really?! A team of warriors has less than a first-aid kit?" I was astounded.

"I know!" Jay agreed vigorously. "I keep telling Cole that, but nobody listens to me!" He flopped down on the low cot.

I was in my element and started to make a mental list of everything I could pick up at the medical supply store, from sutures and dressings to basic surgical instruments. I also starting thinking of plans for furnishing the workspace differently.

Behind me, Jay shattered my thoughts by suddenly asking, "When are you gonna tell Cole?"

I slowly looked over my shoulder at him and fixed him with a piercing look. "Tell Cole _what_?"

He gave me a look of 'duh'. "How you feel about him. He needs to know!"

"I beg to differ," I replied, turning back to the cupboards. "He doesn't need to know, and I'm not sure he'd care if he did." I was still a little stung from last night.

"Oh, after seeing the way he's been acting lately, I seriously doubt that that's the case with him!" he said, laughingly.

I felt a surge of hopefulness, but controlled it, thinking, _Don't get your hopes up, girl. You're not here to find a man, anyway_. I didn't respond to him.

After a minute of silence, he continued to pester me. "Seriously, Arwyn, you need to tell him."

"Tell whom what?" Cole asked nosily as he stepped into the doorway. These damn ninja needed bells on their boots!

Surprised, Jay faltered, so I spoke up. "That we have to also stop at the medical supply store to bring this place up to par. This is totally unacceptable."

Shrugging, Cole said, "Okay. But we'd better leave soon so we have time to do everything we need to before we're spending the night in the city."

Jay sighed, and I glared at him warningly as I followed Cole out of the infirmary. "You are a dead man walking if you talk," I hissed at him as I passed, only half-joking. He just grinned and followed us as far as the kitchen and Nya.

About an hour later, I was standing in the office of my employer, Jin Kita, MD, a tall, brunette, triathlete type, arguing with him about why I should or should not resign. I had asked Cole to stay outside with Lloyd and Zane, promising I would not be long. Now I wasn't so sure about that.

"Jin, I'm sorry to be so abrupt about this, but that's just how it turned out," I was trying to be as considerate as possible, but we had already been at this for several minutes. "Like I told you, I really need to be somewhere else right now."

"Yeah, yeah! Training for some martial art, I guess, in this…karate suit!" He gestured impatiently at me. "Meanwhile, I'll have no nurse for who-knows-how-long! What would it take to get you to stay, Arwyn? More money? More vacation time?" He was so freaking self-centered.

"Sorry, Jin, but I've made my decision and nothing's going to keep me here. I kinda have bigger fish to fry at this point." I turned toward the door. "I'm going to grab a couple of things from my office and then leave. Just mail my last check."

He trailed me down the hall to the other side of the clinic. "Come on, there must be something I can do to get you to stay." His whining was getting on my nerves like it always had. "We've been together for two years. That must mean something!"

By now, I was digging in a desk drawer in the corner of my office. "We haven't 'been together' for two years. I've been working here for two years. There's a difference," I corrected him. It occurred to me that I could feel Cole's element stronger now. _He must be getting impatient since I'm taking so long_, I thought.

"Come on, after we went out that time, you know I wanted to take it further, but you kept slapping me down," he reminded me, following me around the desk into the narrow space between it and the wall.

I had found what I was looking for and straightened, ready to leave the room. I eyed the man in front of me. "I'm leaving now, Jin. You're in my way," I stated in a no-nonsense tone.

He just leered at me. "Maybe if I give you more of _me_, you'll want to stay," he suggested in a lewd manner, fingering the collar of my gi. I could feel my blood pressure increasing, as well as a pressure in my chest.

I rolled my eyes and made an attempt to step between him and the wall, but Jin put his hand against it, blocking my path with his arm. I didn't want to hurt him, but I was swiftly considering whether he deserved the heel of my hand up his nose or my knee in his groin.

My decision was a moot point when I saw a flash of black behind the doctor a split-second before the Master of Earth's fist tore past Jin's head and crashed into the wall by mine, not stopping until it was buried nearly up to the elbow. I couldn't stop myself from flinching.

Jin fell back against the desk in alarm as Cole jerked his arm from the wall, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him into the hallway. Holding the thinner, terrified man close to his unmasked face, he growled, "My original target was the back of your head, but I changed my mind at the last second. That was the only warning you'll get."

Shoving Jin away from him and releasing him at the same time caused my former employer to stumble down the hallway, shouting curses and demands for us to vacate the premises.

I calmly checked the hole in the wall, and through it saw the far side of the adjoining room. Admiration and trepidation mingled as I wondered just how dangerous this ninja could be. I was more than happy to have him as a guardian.

Grabbing a framed photo of my parents from the desk top, I joined my knight in shining armor in the hallway, and we headed for the exit.

"Well, I guess I won't be seeing that last check, but I'm glad you didn't hit a stud in the wall," I commented with a straight face. I attempted to brush the drywall bits and dust off of his arm as he stomped beside me.

"Sorry, and I wouldn't have noticed it," he answered heatedly in no uncertain terms. Yikes.

"Were you behind the door when we came in?" I asked out of curiosity.

Cole just grunted.

"I told you to stay outside," I reproved lightly.

"You were taking too long," was his brusque response.

"I teach self-defense classes. I could have protected myself from him, you know," I reminded him with only a tiny bit of annoyance.

"That's _my_ job now," he informed me gruffly. "And you're not leaving my sight again."

_Promise?_ I thought as he opened the door leading outside, and we left my clinic to meet Lloyd and Zane.

**A/N: Please keep the reviews coming! They help motivate me!;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Don't own Ninjago, just my OCs. THANK YOU one and all who have reviewed my story so far and actually say you like it! I love you guys! Please continue to review! I NEED to know! On with my show-**

**Chapter 12**

****Arwyn's POV **

Our next stop, after Zane insisted Cole explain his soiled uniform, was the Fitness Center to see Sofiya who would be starting her first yoga class of the day in less than an hour.

Sofiya had always seemed ethereal to me, and no less so today as she glided over to us from the back of the enormous studio, her tall, lithe, barefooted figure clothed in curve-hugging capri pants and a camisole top. She gave a little wave and called my name in greeting.

Watching her, as the four of us walked to meet her halfway, I was filled with anxiety, hoping I wasn't about to regret introducing her to Cole. Not because she would try to entice him away from me, she was too good a friend, but because I was afraid _he_ may be so enchanted with _her_ that I'd never stand a chance. I wasn't insecure around her or anything. Much.

I stole a glimpse at the ice and earth ninja who flanked me. She had gotten the attention of both men, but Zane seemed much more alert-looking, and I noticed I was getting a chill.

With her white-gold braid swinging behind her, Sofiya beamed luminously as she strode up to us and threw her arms around my neck in a tight hug. "Is this Cole?" she whispered in my ear. I tensely nodded confirmation as she released me.

I'm no good at lip-reading, but I could clearly make out 'They're both gorgeous' before she turned to face the trio with me.

I introduced her to everyone, including a disinterested and impatient Lloyd who then ran off to play on the treadmill and other equipment at one end of the studio. Cole shook Sofiya's hand casually, then watched with amused interest as Zane bowed with a smitten expression before taking her hand in both of his and kissing it lingeringly.

"It is a wondrous pleasure to meet you, exquisite lady," he breathed as Sofiya gazed at him in awe and blushed. Even _I_ was gazing at him in awe.

Cole and I exchanged knowing smiles over their reactions, which relieved me a little. Maybe he wasn't nearly as impressed by her as Zane seemed to be.

When Zane finally released her hand, and Sofiya's starry-eyed look had faded to some extent, she gave my teammates the once-over and said, "You guys look so familiar for some reason…" Although the two were in full uniform, golden weapons and all, Sofiya was apparently as uninformed as I was regarding current events in Ninjago.

Instead of enlightening her, the yin-yang pair regarded me, waiting for my prompt. Finally remembering I was there, she inspected my attire. "So what's up with the green outfit, Arwyn?"

_Okay. Here goes_, I thought nervously. I was somewhat concerned about her reaction, but I needed to do this. "Remember I told you I was considering training for a belt?" She nodded. "Well, it's a little more involved than that. Could I talk to you in the office for a few minutes?"

"Sure. My class isn't for about thirty minutes or whenever." She eyed Zane with a captivating smile. "Will these two be alright out here with all the women coming in?"

I checked out the moon-eyed ninja of ice and Cole, who was having trouble controlling his mirth due to his brother's reaction to my goddess-like girlfriend. "Oh, I think they can hold their own," I stated with conviction.

I took her by the arm and guided her toward the office where she could focus better on what I had to say. On the way, I began our conversation with, "I have to cancel my class today, and, by the way, are you still looking for a new place?"

From my peripheral vision, I saw Cole discreetly follow us, although I wasn't sure what kind of danger he thought she might pose to me. _But keeping me within his sight…_

About twenty-five minutes later, we emerged from the office, almost stepping on the earth ninja who had stood guard outside the door the entire time. After our talk, Sofiya was paler than I had thought she could get, but she had quit hyperventilating.

Zane rejoined our group after surveying the place once more. With the four of us gathered, Sofiya stood dumbfounded for a second, then addressed the men with amazement, stammering, "I-I _thought_ you looked familiar! You're _**the**_ ninja!"

The Master of Ice held up a finger. "Actually we are only _half_ of _**the**_ ninja…" Cole rolled his eyes at the correction.

Sofiya gave Zane a 'thanks, smartass' look before continuing in a disbelieving tone and a slightly louder voice. "And you _seriously_ think Arwyn is some _warrior_ born to kill some _bad guy_?!"

I grimaced and immediately clapped my hand over her mouth, quickly scanning the area for Lloyd, finding him still on the exercise equipment and well out of earshot. _That was close_.

Removing my hand from her face, I said quickly, "Never mind all that, Sofiya! Just remember what we talked about. You have my key, move in any time you like. We'll be packing a couple of boxes later today. I'll leave everything else, since I can't take much."

I paused for a breath and waved for Lloyd to come back to us when I caught his eye. "Meanwhile, we still have errands to run, and you have a class to do. Relax, and I'll talk to you later!"

I hugged her hard, Zane bowed and smooched her hand again, then Cole shepherded us all out and along to our next stop. _Another neatly tied loose end_.

From the Fitness Center, we headed over to Doomsday Comix to satisfy Lloyd before he blew a gasket. For a ten-year-old boy, he'd been incredibly patient the last couple of hours, but that was wearing thin fast.

He was thrilled to set foot in there and sifted through everything, finally finding what he was looking for, then going on to find a few other items. I, on the other hand, was disappointed in my quest, since the latest issue of the graphic novel I wanted wasn't out yet. _About right for my day so far…_

Cole finally had to put his foot down and insist that we go after allowing Lloyd to browse for almost an hour. The only way he got the boy out without a hissy fit was to promise him another trip the following month, if we were in the area.

I watched the tolerant way in which the tough-looking ninja dealt with his enemy's young son. He treated the boy with respect and affection and used positive reinforcement to get him to do as he said.

He was a good man and would probably make a great father. _Not that I'm looking for one, I'm just saying! _

On our next stop, the ninja leader had to be patient with _me_. I loaded up at the medical supply store on everything I imagined we might need to stock the infirmary as far as basics were concerned, as well as a few extra items.

I really hoped we'd never have to put any of it to use, but it was better to be prepared than not, considering what the team faced on a regular basis.

We then grabbed sandwiches before dropping Zane and Lloyd at my apartment to watch television, while Cole and I took my car to a dealer. Had I gone in there by myself, I know I would have been fleeced, since car salesmen usually view women as vulnerable and naïve.

Conversely, having the imposing man in the black uniform by my side to haggle with me shortened the ordeal and got me a couple thousand more than I probably would have alone. That would be a chunk of change for the _Bounty_'s coffers. There were perks to having a large bodyguard accompanying one.

Back at my apartment, I had to be very selective about what I packed. My room on the _Bounty_ was small, and cargo transport space on the vehicles was even smaller. I was gonna have to get used to much simpler living.

I zipped through there and took only some of my clothing, toiletries, and personal effects, a photo album, sketch pads and pencils, my laptop and MP3 player, some kitchen utensils Zane said would come in handy, my pillow, and the stupid alarm clock.

I considered leaving the last thing since I much preferred being awakened by Cole, but I figured he probably wouldn't care to be my wake-up call every morning, so I'd better include it.

In the midst of that, Sofiya arrived with a suitcase and a couple of boxes of her things, ready to start moving in. She usually spent the entire day at the Fitness Center, so I suspected she had an ulterior motive for coming here in the middle of the afternoon. And she did.

When the door had opened, all of Zane's focus had become the radiant blonde. As soon as she entered the place and greeted everyone, she and the statuesque male took a seat on the couch and began to happily talk about anything and everything. I didn't even know he had that much to say.

At the time, Cole was being helpful in limiting my choices by letting me know what wouldn't fit on the Tread Assault. Once, as we walked through the living area, he glanced over at the couple on the couch, and I caught a glimpse of a brief, but wistful, smile on his face.

_Is he wondering if that could be us?_ flashed through my mind optimistically before I could stop it. I know I was. I hate to admit it, but I was envious of Sofiya's ability to have an open heart, although she had not come through the last couple of years in the dating scene unscathed.

She had been able to handle it better, though, and I was really wanting to do the same at this point. I just had to know first, without a doubt, whether or not he was interested in me…

When I was zipping my suitcase closed a little later, I considered the black-clad figure as he stood silhouetted against the window, thoughtfully gazing outside while waiting for me to finish.

He was so handsome and kind…. I sighed, chewed lightly on my lower lip, and began to slip into a daydream–like state when I caught myself and shook it off. I thought back to the budding couple in the living room. "It seems we inadvertently made a match out there," I commented quietly.

Cole turned away from the window, snickering a bit. "Yeah, I've rarely seen Zane give any woman a second glance before, but he's really head-over-heels about Sofiya. He deserves to find someone like her."

I couldn't resist as I watched him grasp the handle of the suitcase and lift it from the bed, so I asked coyly, "And what about you?"

He reacted in surprise, looking at me quickly. "Me? What do you mean?" he asked, turning his face away again just as quickly.

"Well, don't you think you deserve to find someone just as much as Zane does?" I suggested, sitting on the bed I was about to leave.

Lowering his head a touch, he let his long bangs fall, partially concealing his eyes from me. "Sure, I'd like to think that I do. Maybe someday…" He kept his head down. "What about you?"

_Well, __**duh**_… "It'd be nice," I said, stating the obvious. "There must be more to life than just saving Ninjago, right?" I finished with a vague smile.

Cole lifted his head again and inhaled suddenly like he'd just remembered something. "Right." Checking the watch on his comlink, he observed, "It's almost four. We'd better be going soon."

I couldn't keep myself from sighing heavily. "Sure…Sofiya might have totally forgotten about her four-thirty class. We'd better go pry those two lovebirds apart." Cole was already out of the bedroom before I could get off of the bed.

We left my, uh, _Sofiya's_ apartment after I hugged her 'goodbye', and Zane held her hands again while being given her phone number. They both appeared ready to burst from joy. I was really happy for them, but there was no doubt about it. I was also jealous.

Cole and Lloyd had already strapped my boxes to the Tread Assault and were anxious to get back to the ship, so as soon as Zane got his act together, we all took off. It was not without some sadness that I cast a last look behind me as we pulled away.

The trip back to the _Bounty_ was largely quiet, since we both seemed to have something on our minds. Occasionally a casual comment about the scenery or the day's events came up.

I did a lot of feeling sorry for myself over everything I was giving up, my uncertain future, and what Sofiya had that I didn't, so by the time we got to the ship, I wasn't exactly in the greatest of moods.

Cole had helped me tote everything to my room by the time Sensei appeared in the doorway, asking us how the day had gone.

The ninja leader gave me a quick look, subtly brushing his right arm as he replied, "Everything went very well, Sensei. Arwyn took care of all of her loose ends, and we didn't have any problems."

_What he doesn't know, doesn't hurt him, I guess_, I thought as I opened a drawer of the dresser and began to fill it with clothes from the suitcase.

I knew it was rude, but the sarcasm just had to get out of me when I piped up with, "Oh, yes, the severing of nearly all ties to my former life went very well, and now I think I'll spend the next five minutes unpacking all of my things."

I didn't look up, but I heard Sensei murmur, "Very good, then," before going on with, "Every new beginning comes from another beginning's end."

I stopped what I was doing and squeezed my eyes shut as the truth of the proverb hit me. I felt Cole's heaviness in my chest and longed to reach for him, but I managed to kick that urge to the side and just opened my eyes again.

Sensei had left, and Cole stood awkwardly by the door, staring at the colorful lace boy shorts I held in my fist, a dusting of pink across his tanned cheekbones. _Well, terrific! _I hurriedly tossed them into the drawer and reached back into the suitcase for something _else_ I could use to embarrass myself.

Giving me a reprieve, Cole promptly turned away toward the door. "You don't have a lot to unpack, so I'll let you finish and go find the guys. We should go over the rules and regs around here with you. Just meet us in the bridge in a few minutes."

With that order, he left me alone with my sullen self. I would have left me, too, if I could have.

A few minutes later in the bridge, after giving me a brief tour of it, Cole commenced our meeting with Zane, Kai, and Jay in attendance seated around the table.

"Okay, we just need to go over a few rules and let you know what to expect on a day-to-day basis," he opened. Addressing the guys, he said, "Jump in with anything you might want to add." After a second's pause, he looked meaningfully at Kai and added, "If it's relevant."

Kai paid him no heed and put his feet on the table, kicking his chair back on its rear legs, saying, "Let's get on with this, Mr. Chairperson."

Scowling a bit at the young man in red, Cole started his litany to me. "You already know when we get up and meet for breakfast. Training will begin tomorrow morning at six-thirty. Each day the exercises will be different, depending on who's leading it with you." As he spoke, he used a pen to scratch things off of a little list he had placed on the counter beside him.

"Depending on what we're covering, we'll usually break by twelve for lunch. We always wear our uniforms during training, but running is done in whatever you want to wear. Chores are usually done in the afternoon if we aren't training more." I was beginning to wonder when I _wouldn't_ be training.

"Any leisure time is usually in the evening after supper at seven, unless Sensei gives us a day off." He continued to scratch on his list. "You can wear whatever in the evening, also. We all share the cooking chores, except Sensei and Lloyd. The chart is in the kitchen." Cooking for eight was gonna be interesting.

He continued quickly. "You are never to leave the _Bounty_ without a Master with you. There's a chart in the laundry room to find your laundry day. The infirmary is your responsibility. A list of chores…" Did I hear that right?

"Whoa, whoa! What?!" I interrupted him curtly with a confused look and a wave of my hands, straightening up from where I had been leaning on the counter a few feet from him.

The ninja leader gave me a blank look and knitted his brows. "Excuse me?"

I got really animated suddenly, fanning my hands horizontally. "Back up to the thing before the laundry! The 'never to leave the _Bounty'_ thing!"

"That's self-explanatory," he said calmly, glancing at the rest of the team, who nodded in unison.

"I can't leave the _Bounty_ alone?" I repeated unnecessarily.

Cole sighed before answering me and leaned on the counter with one hand. "It's not safe for you, and you don't have a means of transportation anyway."

I tried to calm myself a little and stood up straighter, replying impudently, "What if I learn to use the golden weapons and borrow one?"

"One of us will always be with you," Cole shot back.

"What if my parents or Sofiya comes by and wants to take me somewhere?" I countered.

"One of us will always be with you," Zane chimed in, supporting Cole, who nodded at him in appreciation.

I kept on, getting more irate. "What if I just want to take a walk around on the ground for a change?"

"One of us will always be with you," Kai came back with a bored yawn.

_These guys are freaking ganging up on me_! I screamed to myself. Out of frustration, I almost got loud. "So I have to ask permission to do _anything_, and I'm dependent on the bunch of you. Like a _prisoner_!"

Cole face-palmed. "You are _not_ a prisoner, just protected." He gestured at the other three Masters with a sweep of his arm. "We are here to protect you!"

Crossing my arms with indignation, I exclaimed, "I'm not exactly okay with this! If I'm so important, why don't I get a say in anything? There is nothing democratic going on here!"

Jay stood from the table. "Okay. Let's take a vote!" Four different-colored arms went up at the same time. "I guess one of us will always be you, Arwyn! Motion to adjourn!" he called out, and the three at the table scattered.

Cole remained, leaning by the counter with a concerned frown. I just glared at him with my arms still crossed, seething. He stood up straight, saying firmly, "We will just be with you wherever you are," repeating himself from three nights ago.

Narrowing my eyes, I gritted my teeth and started to stomp past him to leave the bridge. I couldn't stand that I was acting like this, but I couldn't stand that I had no freedom to come and go if I chose, either.

The man in black reached out quickly and firmly grasped my upper arm. I stopped, but refused to make eye contact.

Speaking in an even tone, Cole said, "Arwyn, don't fight this. This is not my directive, it comes from Sensei Wu. To ensure your safety. There's no way around it."

Making a fist, I tensed my upper arm under his hold. Was this the only way I could get him to touch me again? "What. Ever," was the only thing I could say without cursing.

"Arwyn, please…," he began, but stopped when I tensed my arm again, released me and allowed me to walk away.

I didn't stop until I had face-planted on my bed, where I stayed until I heard Kai call everyone for supper a while later.

At suppertime, my end of the table was unusually quiet. I did a lot of staring at the food on my plate and only a little of eating it. I didn't want to face Cole or Sensei, and I had very little to say. They didn't bother me.

Lloyd thanked Cole for the chance to go to Ninjago City, even though the earth ninja reminded him that I was the one who had suggested he be able to come.

The boy mumbled his thanks to me before telling everyone about the awesome graphic novels he had picked up at the comic store. Ah, well, I hadn't actually expected to make it all right with that little trip. This was a work in progress.

Knowing Zane had probably not shared his story with anyone, Cole then brought up the subject of Sofiya, and, much to Zane's embarrassment, how well they had hit it off. That took care of conversation for a while.

When the meal finally ended, I brought my plate into the kitchen after everyone else and offered to help Kai with the dishes. Apparently part of the cooking duties was to clean up after yourself, therefore limiting the mess you made.

Since I wasn't saying much, he kept up the conversation with talk about my training starting in the morning and some of the things he planned on sharing with me. Before long, talk turned to Zane's newfound love interest.

"Never thought Zane would have something like that fall into his lap. He's a great guy, but really quiet and reserved," Kai mused while he washed the last pot. "Sofiya must really be something to have gotten his attention."

Smiling with affection for my friend, I said, "Oh, she's everything that I'm not; beautiful, even-tempered, sweet, graceful…"

He mercifully interrupted me with a laugh. "You make yourself sound like a troll next to her! That's not true at all! She's probably no more beautiful than you, and, as for the rest of it, the Green Ninja can't be sweet," he ended with raised brows as he handed me the pot to dry.

I chuckled a little at that and set the dry pot on the counter when I was done with it. "Well, thanks for that, but it would still be nice to have what Zane and Sofiya seem to have." I leaned back against the kitchen cabinet with my hands on the counter edge.

"Maybe you will," he suggested while emptying the sink and drying his hands on a towel.

I smiled longingly. "Yeah, maybe at some point in my life. I just don't think it'll be any time soon."

"Why couldn't it be?" he asked as he left the sink and moved close to me. "It could happen now, you know." His demeanor became serious as he reached up and cupped my cheek with his warm, damp hand, rubbing the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

My wide eyes met his and my pulse rate picked up as what he was leading up to suddenly occurred to me.

When his heat flared from the back of my scalp into my chest, I inhaled sharply between slightly parted lips, but I was frozen to the spot. I had only been kissed by a handful of guys in my life. Should I let him, or should I run?

I ran out of time for decision-making when Kai closed the gap between us, touching his lips to mine hesitantly at first, then pressing a little more firmly when I didn't pull away. I let my eyes close and felt his other hand come up so that he was holding my face with both hands.

I gripped the counter edge tighter as my heart and head raged against each other. My heart screamed that this was not the right guy, not Cole, while my head reasoned that being kissed by Kai was not so bad a deal.

He had been drinking cocoa-and-cinnamon-infused tea after supper, and I could almost taste the pleasant flavor as he parted his lips and lightly flicked my lower lip with the tip of his tongue.

In response, I did another sharp intake of breath, but didn't open my mouth more to him, at the same time noticing the growing pressure at my core right before I heard "Kai! What the hell are you doing?!"

Slowly ending the kiss in response, Kai looked me in the eyes with a little smirk. I bit my lower lip a little and said, "Sorry, Kai."

"Ah, it was just a test anyway," he answered lightly, seemingly unaffected by my lack of arousal. He dropped his hands from the sides of my face and turned to face Cole and Nya in the kitchen doorway.

Cole was angrily gripping the door handle while Nya was gripping his other forearm.

Kai scoffed a little and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you don't know what I was doing, maybe you and I should have a long talk, Cole."

I saw anger on the face of the ninja leader and what could have been pain in the eyes of the man. Overwhelmed, I lowered my head and covered my face with both hands in shame and frustration. _What __**else**__ today?_ I moaned inwardly.

**A/N: Tell me, tell me, please, how I did! R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: no own Ninjago! Hope I can live up to the wonderful comments you wonderful people have sent my way! Thank you so much for the encouragement and motivation! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 13**

****Cole's POV**

Overall, the day had been a great one for me since I had been able to spend almost all of it with Arwyn. Granted, it wasn't so good in some respects, like when I nearly became homicidal in the clinic or when I was watching her make tough decisions about abandoning her former life.

All I could do was be there for support, because I knew all of that was hard for her. Her sarcastic comment to Sensei in her room had driven that fact home.

Of course, I'm surprised I even caught that since I was kinda distracted by the lacy panty she was holding at the time…It was lavender….

Anyway, knowing what kind of mood she was in, I had tried to slip the thing about not leaving the _Bounty _in the middle of the rest of the rules to avoid too much commotion, but that failed miserably. Realizing her independence was gonna be severely restricted really pissed her off, and worst yet, she got pissed at _me_. I wasn't sure how I was gonna handle that.

I had decided to give her time to quiet down in her room afterward and talk to her later, but I wasn't even able to get her to make eye contact at suppertime. Jay dragged me away after that to show me some new techno thing he had installed in the bridge, which was impressive, but I lost track of Arwyn.

Checking around afterward, I finally learned from Zane that she had offered to help Kai in the kitchen, which set off a big alarm for me, so I high-tailed it in that direction. Nya had overheard and followed me to act as damage control, which, in retrospect, was probably an intelligent move on her part.

When I opened the door to the kitchen and saw what they were doing, I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. Then I almost lost it, feeling much the same way I had in the clinic when Jin Kita had suggestively propositioned Arwyn, except I didn't quite want to kill Kai, just maybe make him walk with a limp.

Arwyn didn't seem to be encouraging him, since she wasn't wrapped around him, which relieved me a tad, but she wasn't slapping him silly, either. That didn't make me feel much better.

When the human torch didn't back off of her as soon as I yelled at him, even pausing to whisper something to her before addressing me, it made me livid enough. But when he made his smartass remark, I had started into the room to strangle him. Unfortunately, Nya stopped me by digging her nails into my arm, which really got my attention.

Quaking with fury, it was all I could do to control myself, and Kai knew it as he strolled from the kitchen, passing Nya and me without looking at us. He didn't seem as self-satisfied as I would have expected, but I wasn't concerned about that just now.

My attention focused on Arwyn, who still leaned against the counter, with her face in her hands. I was at a loss as to what I should do or say. I couldn't exactly be angry with her, since she had no idea how I felt about her.

On the other hand, I was crushed. I wouldn't let her know how much I wanted her, but Kai had. _Oh, God. She returned his feelings, didn't she? _My anger was quickly waning and rapidly being replaced with sickening apprehension.

When Nya pushed me gently in her direction, I forced myself to make the few faltering steps to Arwyn's side and placed a tremulous hand on her shoulder.

While I fumbled for something to say, she dropped her hands from her face, but didn't look up at me. "I'm sorry," was all she whispered before she pushed away from the counter and walked hastily past Nya and out of the kitchen. _Sorry for what? That we walked in on them? That she wants Kai?_

I was left standing there, sick to my stomach, with desolation enveloping me. Nya saw that and came to face me, rubbing my upper arms while we wordlessly stood in the middle of the kitchen for a moment.

My voice sounded raspy and miserable when I finally found it. "What made me think I was so special that something like this wouldn't happen?"

"Cole, you _are_ special," she insisted. "But if no one knows how you feel…" She didn't need to say 'I told you so'.

"I know," I responded with a sigh, closing my eyes, running my hands through my hair, and trying to remember how I had justified my stance on the Green Ninja.

In an effort to comfort me, Nya wrapped her arms around my waist in a tight embrace, and I circled her shoulders with a hug in return. All we needed right now was for Jay to walk in.

"You need to talk to her," she said against my chest after a moment.

I shook my head. My resentment was starting to rise again. "I need to talk to Kai," I revised, suddenly decisive. Nya released me and pushed away.

"Maybe that's not the best idea…," she began anxiously as I walked toward the door. "I'll come with you."

"That won't be necessary," I assured her over my shoulder. "I won't hurt him much."

I found Kai in the passageway, probably on his way to the game room, since I could hear Jay and Lloyd trash-talking while they played some game. He stopped with a wary expression when he saw me striding with dangerous intent toward him.

"You mentioned we needed to have a long talk," I began tersely as I flung open the nearest door, causing it to slam against the inside wall. "I agree." It happened to be the weapons room. Maybe not the best place, but anyway…

He sidestepped around me in an attempt to continue on his merry way, saying, "I don't think we…," but I got a handful of his upper sleeve and yanked him into the small room. "It's _not_ optional!."

Stumbling in, Kai jerked his sleeve out of my grasp as I closed the door. Standing in front of it, I turned to face my obviously pissed brother. _You think __**you're**__ pissed?! _

Cutting to the chase, I erupted. "Do you _not_ remember what I said about respecting her and treating her like a teammate, not just some girl you can run after?! What did you think you were doing back there?!" I yelled while gesturing forcefully. Pointing a finger in his face, I added, "And don't give me some _flip_ remark, or so help me…!"

Totally unflustered, Kai held his hands up in front of him. "Take it easy, muscle man! I got the message about her being just a teammate, okay?" He relaxed and crossed his arms. "If you must know, I got shot down. Subtly, but still shot down. Are you happy now?"

Yes, I was getting _much_ happier, but trying desperately not to show it. "What are you talking about?" I asked much more calmly, but still glowered at him. _Gimme details here!_

He sighed and rolled his eyes, perhaps feeling a little humbled by whatever had happened. "I'm sure you've kissed plenty of girls so that you can tell if one wants you or not." I crossed my arms and nodded once to encourage him to continue.

"Well, when one doesn't kiss you back, _**at all**__,_ you get the message pretty quickly," he ended with a mumble and a downward glance. Taking a deep breath and standing straighter, he continued, "But at least that's out of the way, and I can concentrate on training her."

I just stared at him, slightly stunned and, oh, so very relieved. I almost felt a little bad for him, but didn't. "Sorry, Kai," I offered, although I didn't really feel it.

"Yeah, that's what she said," he shrugged resignedly. "Oh, well. Are we done here?" He reached for the door handle, and this time I let him go while everything he had said sank in.

He had kissed her, and she hadn't cared, she hadn't returned it! That made me so ecstatic I could have done a backflip if the room wasn't so small and crowded! My world _wasn't _disintegrating!_ I still have a chance!_ I thought, beaming with joy, and raising my fists above my head like a ref calling a touchdown.

_Wait, a chance at __**what**__ exactly? You've made the decision that no one, besides Nya, will know how you feel about the __**Green Ninja**__. Now what?_

Throwing my back against the wall, I slid down it until I was sitting on the floor. I had just deflated myself with that reminder. This emotional roller coaster was really exhausting me. I knew I couldn't keep doing this to myself forever.

I pulled my knees up and hugged them, staring at the floor in front of me. I had to concentrate on her training and my own performance before that slipped and I had Sensei on my back. The personal stuff was going to have to take a hiatus. _Green Ninja, Green Ninja, Green Ninja._ Remember the mantra.

When I left the weapons room, I went looking for Arwyn to at least settle the dispute in the bridge, and maybe even hear anything she had to say about Kai. I followed Nya's voice down the hall to the infirmary and discovered her and Arwyn sorting and putting away all of the medical supplies we had purchased earlier in the day.

Both women looked up when I entered the doorway, but Arwyn went back to what she was doing almost immediately, seeming a little agitated to find me there, though not angry. Nya had a worried, questioning look, so I returned the 'OK' sign to let her know Kai was still alive and well.

She gave a relieved nod and continued unpacking the supplies, saying, "You know, considering how often you guys hurt yourselves, I don't know how we've managed without most of this stuff before Arwyn brought it." I chuckled and crossed my arms while leaning against the doorjamb. Arwyn stayed quiet while she organized and stored the medications.

Nya tried again as she stashed a bundle of dressings in a cupboard. "She also has great ideas about transforming this room into a real infirmary. Arwyn, you'll have to show him the sketches you made for a new floor plan."

Arwyn lifted her hand in a little wave as she finished placing scissors, forceps, and a few other surgical instruments in a box. "Maybe later. I'm sure he's not excited to see more work cut out for him." _I'd be excited if you'd just look at me, talk to me, __**something.**_

"Oh, that doesn't matter," Nya insisted. With a determined air she turned to me. "She wants to add cabinets, shelves, an exam table, and a sink with running water. Cole, you and Kai could build all of that and run a pipe from Sensei's bath since it's closest, couldn't you?"

I raised my brows at the daunting thought of building anything, especially with Kai, but if Arwyn asked for it, I was willing to do what I could to give it to her. "Anything you want, we could definitely try," I pledged with enthusiasm. That earned me a couple of surprised looks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sensei's door open and he stepped out into the hallway, coming to stand by my side to peer into the infirmary. "Ah, I see you have found a niche, Arwyn," he said, surveying the items with interest. "It has been long in coming that we had a proper medical infirmary."

Arwyn bowed while looking at him, saying, "Yes, Sensei. It'll be a place for me to channel some energy when Cole is not keeping me busy elsewhere." I straightened up. Was that a jab?

"Good, good," Sensei nodded in approval. Turning toward his door, he said, "Speaking of Cole, I'd like to see you in my quarters for a while," before slipping back into his haven.

"Of course, Sensei," I said to his disappearing form as I tried not to sigh and followed him in.

Once I was settled on the tatami mat with a cup of pale, lavender-scented tea…um… lavender…, Sensei wasted no time getting down to business. "I sensed a disturbance earlier, perhaps between two brothers…?"

I almost sputtered as I was taking a sip of the hot tea. What _didn't_ this mystical man notice around here? "There _was_ an issue, Sensei, but I think it may have resolved itself for the most part," I said confidently.

"I certainly hope that is the case," he responded somewhat reproachfully. "Strife between team members could be devastating to our goal. It is understandable that Arwyn's arrival has created a disruption in the usual operations here on the _Bounty, _and I sensecertain sentiments may have arisen. However, I trust that, as the leader, you will be able to work around that."

I narrowed my gaze on him as I thought, _Just what is he getting at?_

In a roundabout way, he let me know. "I am certain that I do not need to remind you that all of your energy and focus should be concentrated on training the Green Ninja and remaining calm and collected with her during battle." I almost cringed.

"There can be no distractions," he said adamantly. "Is this clear, Cole?"

Why didn't he just come out and say what he meant already? "You have to deny your feelings, your very heart, and settle for a platonic relationship for as long as it takes. Do nothing but train her, and don't screw up, or it's your ass."

I looked him dead in the eye. "It is _crystal_-clear, Sensei." _Holy crap_.

That sealed it. I had to control this, and Arwyn could not know. How long could I seriously keep this up?

"Excellent," he said, sounding pleased. "Now, how do you plan to start her training tomorrow?"

I sighed and spent the better part of the next hour outlining my plan to begin shaping the Green Ninja. By the time Sensei Wu finally released me, and I got back to the infirmary, the women were gone. Arwyn and Nya had finished unpacking everything, stuffing the cupboards full and stacking the overflow on the low cot.

Checking my watch, I noticed it was time for lights out since we had a lot to do tomorrow. A light was on under Nya's door, and although Arwyn was not in her room, I could hear the shower running in the women's bathroom, so I figured she was there. _So much for talking to her before bedtime_.

I went on to the bunkroom to shower, getting to bed after everyone else was asleep. Nearly an hour later, I was still staring into the dark, contemplating the day's events, and listening to Zane mumble 'Sofiya' several times in his sleep. He had lied when he said nindroids don't dream.

Frustrated in my attempt at slumber, I finally threw back the covers and got quietly out of bed. _Time to wander the ship_.

In just a T-shirt and pajama pants, I ambled down the corridor, pausing when I got to Arwyn's closed door. I was hoping it wasn't my imagination that I didn't feel she was in there.

When I reached the top steps of the stairway to the main deck, I spotted her at the port-side railing, sitting on the wooden deck, wrapped in the quilt. I stopped a minute, unsure whether to disturb her or not and telling myself this was contradictory to the assurances I had given Sensei previously.

All of that was forgotten when I heard her call to me, "You have an open invitation, Cole." Smiling with happiness, I thought, _Sensei who?,_ and quickly reached the railing, dropping down cross-legged beside her, our knees touching.

She had been gazing up at the now-full moon, watching the drifting wisps of clouds as they partially obscured it from time to time. Now she turned to me, finally making eye contact for the first time this evening since our confrontation in the bridge, smiling at me in a warm, yet sad, sort of way.

"Couldn't sleep, either?" she asked as the light breeze blew a couple of locks of curly hair across her face. I just shook my head, denying the urge to reach out and tuck the tendrils behind her ear, instead, brushing my own bangs off of my forehead.

"Any particular reason?" she inquired, apparently offering me the opportunity to broach any one of the touchy subjects available.

I couldn't tell her I had been tempted to pull Kai down from his bed a minute ago just because, or that Sensei was fine with me being frustrated indefinitely as long as I did my job well. I went with something a little less controversial. "Just thinking about your training and hoping we teach you well enough," I lied.

"I'm a little worried about that, too, but some other things are bothering me more." Sighing, she looked out over the silvery sand. "I feel the need to apologize for a couple of things."

My ears perked up at this. She was definitely not beating around the bush.

"I don't like the way I reacted in the bridge this afternoon," she continued while examining the pattern on the quilt covering her crossed legs. "I shouldn't have projected my anger on you. It's the loss of my independence I'm angry about, not you or something you did."

Well, it was nice to know she hadn't been hating me over that. I sat quietly observing her and let her continue.

"In fact, I'm sitting here hating myself for feeling sorry for myself over everything I gave away today: my job, my car, my apartment, and apparently the ability to win an argument against a tight band of brothers." She looked at me with that last bit, smiling a little ruefully.

I smiled back with understanding, saying, "Well, you can forget about that last thing, 'cause we ninja stick together. But seriously, I knew today was hard for you. I'm sorry there was nothing I could do to make it easier."

She shrugged. "At least you made it interesting." Smiling with a deliberate survey of my hand, she asked, "How're your knuckles?"

Opening and closing my right fist a couple of times, I chuckled with feigned arrogance. "Puh-leaze! I've hit harder things than that wall _tons_ of times."

"Hmm." With a little smile, she cocked an eyebrow. "Anything harder than a heavy bag?"

My head jerked up, and I fixed her with a startled look. How, and _what_, did she know about _that?_ She turned away and went on before I could form a question.

"I also need to apologize for something else," she spoke faster than before as though she was afraid to lose her nerve. "I don't want to be the cause of Kai getting into trouble with you for whatever reason. I shouldn't have let him do that, and I'm sorry." She looked even further away from me with that.

I was taken aback by the change in subject and her assertion that she must be at fault for something that idiot Kai had done. Irritation with him flared up in me again for a moment.

"Kai needs no help getting himself into trouble. He should be treating you as a teammate and with more respect," I stated bluntly, barely pausing before adding, "Unless that was something you wanted him to do."

That just flew out of my mouth, but it was something I needed to know. I held my breath and steeled myself for her answer. Thankfully, she didn't hesitate.

"Not really," she said quietly as she turned to look me straight in the eyes. "I don't actually think of him that way."

_Oh, thank God!_ With that tidbit of information, I thought I could probably sleep tonight! Speaking of which…I glanced up at the moon's position. "It's getting really late, and you have a challenging day ahead," I reminded both of us. "We'd better get to bed for at least a few hours of sleep."

Arwyn reluctantly nodded her agreement, and we stood and headed below deck in silence. At her bedroom door, we paused and faced each other in the dim light of the corridor's wall sconce.

I was about to say 'good night' and take off when she took a deep breath and tentatively said, "This is gonna sound lame, but after I've had days like this, my daddy would say I'm like a reed bent in the wind and that he could hold me up and help me to be stronger."

With the quilt still pulled tightly around her, she looked up at me solemnly. "I know it's not very ninja-like, but would you hold me for a just a moment so I can feel like it's all gonna be alright?"

_Oh. My. God_. I was speechless at her request. I knew damn well I shouldn't, I didn't need this to increase my temptation and torment! But she looked so vulnerable and alone, I couldn't refuse her. With a pounding heart, I thought, _What's this one time gonna hurt?_ and opened my eager arms to her.

She stepped closer, and I pulled her to me, enfolding her securely in my embrace as she nestled her head against my shoulder. Having her in my arms again, and this time being able to appreciate it more, was an amazing feeling, even with the stupid quilt between us. Closing my eyes and letting my jaw brush the side of her head, I smiled serenely as I breathed deeply and took in the clean, floral scent of her soft, black curls.

I thought I was in heaven until I caught the tiniest creak of a door from far down the hall, followed by the sound of Sensei Wu clearing his throat. My eyes snapped open, and I stiffened, tightening my hold on Arwyn, whom I felt tense against me in response. Forcing myself not to look in his direction, I willed us to disappear, but it wasn't happening.

"Cole." He made my name sound like a warning. "Is it not time that everyone was abed?" he asked, his voice dripping with displeasure, adding, "In their respective rooms?" Was that comment seriously necessary?

I inhaled deeply as I released Arwyn and stepped away from her gingerly. "That's where we were heading, Sensei," I informed him as calmly as I could, while looking her in the eye. I felt like a teenage boy feeling up some girl and getting busted by her father.

Arwyn must have had the same thought as we stood facing each other, our profiles to Sensei Wu, for she fought to suppress an embarrassed giggle. "I'm sorry," she whispered, apologizing needlessly again.

"Don't be," I whispered back with a grin and a wink. "Just smile and bow," I instructed her. Together we turned toward Sensei, bowing with our gazes on him and saying, "Good night, Sensei." As he returned the bow with a little frown, I faced her again, saying, "Good night and rest well. I'll see you at breakfast."

Arwyn told me 'good night' and slipped into her bedroom as I strode toward the bunkroom, feeling my master regarding me the entire way. _I may pay the piper later, but it'll be worth it_, I mused as I opened the door and stepped inside without looking back at him.

**A/N: Review, review, review, please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: You KNOW I don't own Ninjago (so sad). Anyway, thanks for the great reviews, guys! Hope you all like this chapter, the last part was fun! (and inspired by a review from Blackrose Fighter earlier in the story.) I also tried to lengthen this chapter for you, Wolf Spirit! Hope my writer's block doesn't hit again! Please keep the reviews and great comments coming, they help inspire me! **

**Chapter 14**

****Arwyn's POV**

After the incident with Kai and everything I had had to do all day, sleep had proven to be elusive again, and I had eventually found myself on the main deck as I had the night before, mulling over everything and wallowing in self-pity.

My heart leapt when I felt Cole's presence closer to me. He had come again to join me on the deck for a late-night chat! Was he just being a protective leader, or did he actually care for me? If only I knew it was the latter, I could consider opening my heart to him.

I at least had a chance to reconcile with him before he started getting back at me during training, which settled my conscience, but I was still feeling pretty low and alone when he ushered me to my room. That's why I impulsively and uncharacteristically decided to let my guard down and asked to be held.

As soon as the request left my mouth, I regretted having made it. A look of distress crossed Cole's face and for an instant I feared he might tell me to suck it up, or worse, wonder what kind of sniveling ninny had just been dumped on him.

Instead, he almost immediately took me into his arms with a look of tenderness I had not hoped to expect. Relief flooded over me as I gratefully snuggled against his muscular frame and savored the sensation of his strong arms surrounding me.

Between his embrace and the intense sense of his element, I don't think I had ever felt as safe and content in my life as I did at that moment. _Here and now, I could die happy,_ I thought blissfully.

Then Sensei Wu had to go and screw it all up.

We at least got to share a light-hearted moment after that, which carried over into breakfast the next morning. It was impossible for me to look at Sensei, who, I believe, was trying to look intimidating, without a little guilty giggling, which got Cole snickering watching me.

Jay finally asked us to share the joke, but after a crushing look from Cole, who accompanied that with a swipe of his finger across his throat, he dropped it.

The training of the Green Ninja began on the main deck after breakfast as the Masters announced they'd be evaluating my limits before actually teaching me any skills. For some reason, it had not occurred to me sooner that this was going to be similar to freaking boot camp.

They pushed me all morning until they felt satisfied that they had found every weakness I had. My strengths were few. I had never handled a weapon, so that was a big weakness. Since I was near Cole, I proved to be stronger than I thought, but I couldn't climb without good handholds to save my life, so cue another weakness.

I had never run farther than a 5K, even then just barely finishing it, but alongside Jay and Zane, I went nearly twice that distance without difficulty, leaving Kai and Cole in the dust. I at least had that.

I couldn't summon an element yet, and of course had no clue as to how to do spinjitzu. Clearly they had their work cut out for them.

And work me they did. It was a fast-track trial by fire. Over the first couple of days, my instructors didn't cut me any slack, but overall, Cole was the toughest. He was kinda distant and all business, pushing me hard beyond my limits any time he could. Some of the tasks he gave me seemed nearly impossible, but I was determined not to fail, so I did them as best I was able.

Nothing I did seemed to impress him, however, like when I managed my first flame during elemental training with Kai, and he barely even acknowledged it. Zane, Jay, and Kai tried to encourage me as I progressed, but Cole just demanded more. I was getting a little aggravated.

Through all of this, Sensei came and went, observing us, but rarely speaking to me. He merely nodded from time to time and conferred often with Cole, then disappeared for a while.

It didn't even seem to bother Cole when I took a hit or a fall, and I took plenty. He just turned away as if disappointed. That hurt figuratively and literally. I was soon covered in bruises. The worst one come from the ebony-clad man himself, ironically.

After lunch on day two, he had been showing me some bo staff maneuvers, and we were doing a little sparring with each other when I foolishly let Jay's antics distract me to my right for a fraction of a second. That was really bad timing since it happened just as the earth ninja was taking his bo out of a spin and into a strike leveled at my head, expecting me to at least try to deflect it.

Well, we were both in for a surprise. The staff sent my helmet flying, and I found myself face-down on the wooden deck wondering what in the world had hit me.

I didn't actually see stars, but my vision was a little blurry as I sat up dazedly, a hand to my painful left temple. I could just make out Cole's stricken face as he stood gripping his bo, petrified in a pose like he was about to leap forward.

Jay got to me first and helped me up and to the kitchen, commenting about how pretty and purple my eye was getting as he applied a bag of frozen peas. Kai and Zane ran in to check on me, balking with painful expressions when they saw the swelling.

After patting me on the back and assuring me it wasn't _so_ bad, the fire and ice ninja scurried back to the training area, leaving me to Jay's ministrations. I couldn't help but wonder why Cole hadn't appeared.

Crestfallen, I said, "He doesn't care, does he?" as I held the icy vegetables to my forehead and eye, and we took a break, sipping cool water as we leaned against the kitchen cabinets.

"Cole?" he asked needlessly, stopping his glass halfway to his lips. "Of course he does! You should have seen the look on his face after he hit you, like he was terrified he'd killed you! It was actually priceless on _him_!"

He laughed, then stopped when he saw my expression wasn't mirthful. "Really, Arwyn, he didn't mean to do that, and I know it bothered him. I can't explain why he's not in here right now, but…."

"Probably because he's only worried about damaging the Green Ninja, not me," I interrupted dejectedly.

Jay passed his hand over his forehead and down his face, like I was trying his patience. "That's not the case. Cole's not the easiest person to read, but I can tell there's something holding him back. Maybe he's stressed about the training, or Sensei's bugging him. He _has_ been lurking more than usual…." He looked at me deliberately. "If you would only _tell_ him. Or you could let me…"

I glared at him with my non-puffy eye. "You _know_ I can't do that if I think he won't care!"

Jay sighed heavily and turned toward the kitchen door when he noticed it slowly open, and Cole stuck his head inside.

"How's everything going?" he asked cautiously with a slight smile, coming to stand a few feet from me. I lowered the peas, and noticed the smile get tighter, his jaw tensing. "Eh, gotta little…bruise there," he observed. I wondered just how bad it was since everyone seemed to comment on it with the same kind of facial expression.

His gaze shifted to Jay as he added with a humorless grin, "Guess that's a lesson in never taking your eye off of your opponent, especially to check out the local goofball." Jay and I both rolled our eyes. Just like a teacher to turn this into a lesson.

"Anyway, think you're ready to get back on the horse and try again?" he suggested, holding out a hand to me with a cheerful air that wasn't reflected in his face.

I took a breath. "Sure!" I declared with enthusiasm, slapping the now luke-warm bag of legumes into his open hand and moseying toward the door. "We've got a few hours till sunset. May as well see if we can black the other eye!"

Thankfully, we finished that day without another incident, and although my eye was a topic of conversation at supper, I wasn't able to talk to Cole about anything later.

Those first couple of evenings, I was so burnt out that I could barely do my chores and take care of eating and bathing before I was passing out, so any chance I may have had to be alone with him was blown.

Near the end of the third day of training I was finally able to be alone with him for a minute. Zane had been working with me on some spinjitzu moves while handling the shurikens when one of them went awry, striking the metal strap on the main mast and ricocheting in Cole's direction.

With his back to us, he had no chance of evasion, although Zane and I both yelled a warning an instant before the razor-sharp, six-pointed star buried itself in the posterior deltoid in an unprotected spot right behind his left shoulder.

I ran to his side as he gripped the injured limb with an annoyed grimace. Blood was already oozing from around the deeply embedded projectile. "Really, Zane?" he rebuked the ice ninja irritably.

"I am sorry, Cole. I suppose I did not adjust my throw enough for that last gust of wind," Zane said in apology.

"It was no one's fault," I insisted. "But you need to let me see this. It's gonna need stitches." I snagged his gi belt with a finger and began tugging him toward the stairs to below deck. He started to refuse, but quickly gave up and followed me to the infirmary.

Once there, I gingerly, yet swiftly removed the shuriken, then instructed him to strip to the waist as I went to fill the pitcher with water. After returning, I gathered a few gauze pads, placing them on a small table I had found previously in one of the storerooms before turning back to Cole.

He had been unbuckling the straps of his armor, wincing slightly from time to time, but had not yet taken off anything by the time I got to him. "Let me help you with that," I offered, working with him to remove the shoulder armor and vest, trying to reduce the movement of his left arm and limit the pain and bloody mess.

Being so near to him affected me much more than I thought it would. Working once as a nurse in triage at an ER, I had trained myself to become somewhat detached from the person and focus on the wound when necessary, but it was not possible at the moment.

The day had been sunny and hot, and now, standing so closely to him, I could feel the warmth radiating from him. His exposed skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, causing his bangs to adhere a little to his forehead, and he smelled of freshly-plowed fields after a warm spring rain.

Understandably, this was not something many women were acquainted with or could even appreciate, but the familiar aroma made me both homesick and excited at the same time.

I felt a warmth course through my body, and I had a sudden reckless urge to take advantage of the situation…and the man in front of me. Just to see if I could get a reaction out of him.

Not waiting for him to do it himself, I untied the belt around his jacket, which he allowed without protest. When that was done, I slipped my hands under the jacket collar on either side, and deliberately slid them across his broad, rock-hard chest and shoulders, slowly pushing the jacket open, revealing the black, fitted shirt underneath, which clung to his moist skin.

Feeling my pulse quicken, I started down the curve of his deltoids, glancing up at his face to see if I was causing more pain, or anything else, since his element seemed to be growing even more obvious than usual.

He had a ten-thousand–mile stare going on over my head when he suddenly grasped my forearms with both hands, stopping me as the jacket settled at his elbows. Locking my gaze with his, he said somewhat breathlessly, "I can finish," released me, and let the jacket fall to the floor.

Quickly turning away from me to his right, he pulled the tight, black undershirt over his head with a little grunt, allowing me a wonderful view of his wide, well-muscled back smeared with blood from the large laceration.

_Damn!_ I thought as I watched the blood run from the gaping shoulder wound, only I _wasn't_ cursing about the injury. _I need to find more excuses for this herculean Adonis to go shirtless!_

Of course that could be a moot point since I wasn't very skilled at flirting, and he wasn't encouraging it. Was I misinterpreting the few times I had _thought_ he had shown interest in me?

Hoping I hadn't made a fool of myself, I grabbed a handful of gauze and applied pressure to stop the bleeding, not bothering to apologize when I made him flinch.

****Cole's POV**

Zane had appeared in the doorway of the infirmary right after I had turned my back to Arwyn, which I had had to do to keep her from seeing the embarrassing effect her touch had had on me.

He had left for a moment and came back with the two chairs on which she and I were now seated, apologizing again while he assisted her in cleaning and stitching the apparently gaping wound.

I didn't even care about the injury. I was just glad it had happened to me and not the woman tending to it. Again.

It had been brutal to watch these first three days of her training. She was working so doggedly, trying to do everything we asked of her, trying to prove herself. And I wasn't so easy on her, pushing her past her limits on everything, jumping to advanced techniques as soon as she got half an idea about the basic ones.

Then every time she got hit, every time she fell hard, I was forced to turn away so no one could see my agonized reaction. It seemed so wrong. She was a healer and a peacemaker, getting beaten up by her guardians and protectors. The only good thing was that each day her defensive skills were improving, and she took fewer hits.

But I had to be the one who gave her the biggest one so far.

She had been parrying with the bo fairly well, but that instant of distraction from Jay had her turning her head at the very moment I was carrying through my last strike. She didn't notice it coming at her, and I couldn't stop it.

Thank God for her helmet, although I knocked it from her head. It had probably prevented a fracture, or something worse. I couldn't help the panicked look I know came over my face, and I was almost unable to stop myself from flinging my staff, scooping her up in my arms, and running from the deck.

Except that I knew Sensei was on the quarterdeck and watching me like a hawk the entire time. I must remain 'calm and collected with her during battle' he had said. I was having to train myself as well as her.

I tried to stay on task with her training and not spend too much time around her unless I was directly instructing her. That was really getting on my nerves. Like I said, he didn't mind if I was frustrated.

Working like that kept me from being able to talk to her much, and our nights on the deck were over for a while at least since she fell asleep as soon as she lay down. At least I knew from checking on her that she was alright and resting, so I was able to sleep, too.

I had thought my plan for her training wouldn't seem unusual to the others, but I was proven wrong. At bedtime on the second day, I had gotten the feeling the guys were loitering suspiciously in the bunkroom for a few moments before they cornered me as I was about to brush my teeth in the bathroom.

All three stood in the doorway with concerned expressions as Jay started the intervention with both hands on the doorjamb. "Cole, we need to talk. Don't take this the wrong way, but are you _trying_ to make Arwyn hate you?" _Bro, if you only knew how I actually feel about her_…

Narrowing my gaze at them, I put down the toothbrush and paste with a puzzled look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on, man," Kai put in from over Jay's shoulder. "I thought you liked her a little, but you're really working her like crazy. She's gonna burn out fast if this continues. Hell, you even blacked her eye." I ran a hand through my damp hair and squeezed the back of my neck _hard_ to control my reaction to that last part, thinking, _Thanks for making me feel crappier._

Zane put in his two cents as Kai stepped back. "Indeed. Some of the skills you are insisting she try now, we did not even tackle until we had been training for weeks." _That's because we were lazy, egotistical jerks, _I remembered.

I sighed deeply and placed both hands on the countertop while staring at the floor. "Look, I've thought hard about this, okay? I made a promise to her the first night we met that we'd never leave her, but I don't know if I can keep that promise."

I turned to look at the three in the bunkroom. "I don't want her to ever be unprotected, but we don't know what may happen when the final battle gets here. I don't want her to be unprepared. We all expect to be there to support her, but we have to plan for her to be alone, so she needs to be trained accordingly."

The other three guardians of the Green Ninja stood somberly in the doorway considering my words for a few moments. Finally Kai broke the silence. "Okay, you've got a point. But maybe we could go a little easier on her and try not to hurt her worse?" Zane and Jay nodded agreement.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt her," I growled under my breath as I faced the mirror and brought the toothbrush to my mouth. They had left me alone after that.

Thinking about all of that had occupied my mind while Arwyn cleaned and stitched my wound. Once she and Zane were done with that and had cleaned up everything, we decided to call it a day a little early. Zane left to start supper since he had volunteered for the night, leaving Arwyn and me alone for a precious few minutes.

I stood in my gi pants, holding my shirt, jacket, and armor, watching her put away the clean instruments, and wishing I could say anything I wanted to her. All I could manage was, "Thank you."

Arwyn turned to me with a smile, responding, "You're welcome," then placed a hand on my arm and looked around my shoulder at the closed wound. "It looks pretty good right now. We just need to keep it clean and watch it for signs of infection," she commented easily.

When she straightened up again and faced me, I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and tucking her hair away from the left side of her face, exposing the slightly swollen, purple area around her eye and temple. Seeing it still made my heart ache. "I'm sorry," I finally voiced, although I had wanted to scream it yesterday.

She swallowed hard before trying to reassure me with a faint smile. "It's okay. Just a bruise, right? Lesson learned and everything?" I grimaced at that.

"I hadn't meant to sound like that," I started, reaching up again and impulsively touching her jaw with my fingertips. She did a sharp intake of breath, looking at me with surprise, and quickly lifted her hand, grasping mine.

From the hallway door, we heard Sensei ask, "Cole, shouldn't you be on your way to the shower since you're already half-undressed?" as he was on his way to his quarters.

I closed my eyes in mild exasperation and dropped my hand as Arwyn released it before taking a step away from me and going to close the cupboard. "Yes, Sensei. That sounds like a good idea," I said patiently as I obediently left the room, wondering why it seemed to be his crusade for us to never be alone.

After my shower, I walked out into the bunkroom to hear Kai grumbling about being last in line to bathe when he had sand in uncomfortable places. Zane was next, and Jay wasn't giving up his spot in line, so Zane made the comment about Kai going to the women's bathroom since Arwyn was going to soon be finishing up in there and it would be free.

That got me to thinking that now might be a good time to let off some steam.

I waited until Kai had grabbed his towels, clothes, and toiletries, going to stand in the hall until Arwyn finished up, before I approached Jay in the bunkroom as he was waiting for Zane to be done. "I need you to do something for me without asking questions," I said in a low voice.

He glanced furtively around the room like he expected me to ask for something immoral or illegal. "Okay," he agreed slowly. "Whatcha got?"

I quickly outlined the specific instructions I needed him to follow, we set our watch timers, and parted ways. He headed to the hold, and I ran to the kitchen and got what I needed, then ran back to the women's bathroom.

Outside the door, I listened for the sound of running water, knowing Kai was the occupant. Slipping silently into the already-steamy room, I was grateful for the opaque shower curtain as I gathered all of the towels and Kai's clothing and stowed them near the door.

Noting a pair of small cotton shorts hanging on a hook by the door, I recognized them as the ones Arwyn had worn to bed the night I had stayed at her apartment. I decided to be merciful and left them, thinking, _He wanted to get into her pants anyway, right? _

Checking the timer on my watch, I hoped Jay was keeping track of time and waited the few seconds the timer counted down. Right on cue, the water shut off to the shower. Kai exclaimed in surprise and tried turning the water handles a couple of times.

I grabbed the five-pound bag of flour I had obtained from the kitchen, ripped the top off, and dumped the entire bag over the shower curtain rod directly onto Kai's head. He gasped first in shock and confusion, then yelled a really ugly word in anger as I dropped the empty bag, grabbed the bundle on the floor, and ran out of the room, doing my best not to laugh out loud in victory.

I could hear the hothead yelling more obscenities as I ran down the hall toward the bunkroom. Passing the game room on the way, I looked in and saw Lloyd in a beanbag by the television with a comic book, and Arwyn and Nya talking and relaxing on the couch with magazines. _Perfect_, I thought with glee.

I dropped the bundle onto Kai's bunk, then jogged back to the game room. The couch faced the television to the right of the room. That wouldn't do. I hurried to the far end of the couch and lifted it with the startled women on it, moving it around to face the open door, the coffee table getting pushed alongside it.

Plopping down between Arwyn and Nya on the couch, I settled back against the cushions, resting my arms on the back of the couch behind their shoulders. Practically giggling, I propped my feet on the coffee table in front of me.

Nya was the first to speak, narrowing her gaze at me. "Um, Cole, what's up?"

I looked at her, then Arwyn with a Cheshire grin. "Just getting comfortable to enjoy the show." I could hear Kai's angry exclamations getting closer.

Arwyn glanced at the silent television. With some confusion she asked, "What show?"

"You'll see," I answered with delighted anticipation.

Nya and Arwyn looked at each other, then at me. Hearing Kai, Arwyn asked, "What happened?"

"It's not what _happened_, it's something Cole _did_!" Nya deduced with a disapproving look at me. Just then, Jay slipped into the room with a secretive smirk, nodded at me, and threw himself into another beanbag at the end of the couch opposite Lloyd, who stood and leaned on the back of the couch expectantly.

Nya turned on Jay. "Are you in on something, too?" He shrugged with a grin and watched the door eagerly.

Things had been quiet for the last few seconds, until we heard Zane's voice farther down the corridor. "Kai, what in the world has happened to you?"

"COLE OR JAY! ONE OR BOTH OF THEM IS DEAD!" yelled the hot-tempered ninja. A moment later, Kai stepped into the doorway.

He was soaking wet and covered with a thick, white paste which ran down his naked torso and arms and dripped onto the floor. His wet hair and face were also covered with even more of the thick paste, but some of the flour on his head was still dry and puffed off of him as he moved. Only his eyes and mouth were visible through the caked-on mess on his face.

To top it off, he was wearing only the short, snug-fitting, chartreuse-colored, cotton shorts I had left him. They clung to his damp skin in a _very_ revealing way.

He stood there seething, fists clenched at his sides, glaring at me. Everyone in the room was rendered speechless for a second, until I heard Arwyn clear her throat next to me and calmly ask, "Are those my shorts?"

The dam burst at that moment as everyone began laughing so hard we could barely breathe.

Kai continued to stand in the doorway, glowering, waiting for the howling to die down. I noticed him reach down self-consciously to tug the front of the thin shorts away from him and almost lost it even more.

Zane walked up behind him, chuckling, and handed Kai a towel which he used to wrap around his hips. When some of the laughter was a little quieter, he pointed accusingly at me. "I know you have something to do with this," he growled low in his throat.

I stood from the couch and folded my arms across my chest, not trying to wipe the smile from my face. "I claim full credit for this, hot pants," I stated proudly. "That's for hanging up on me, then ignoring my calls a few days ago." I gave him a warning glare. "You don't do that and get away with it." Of course, it might have also been for kissing Arwyn in the kitchen…

"I do seem to remember you saying Cole followed the adage 'revenge is a dish best served cold'," Zane snickered.

Kai opened his mouth to say something as everyone else started a fresh round of hooting, but thought better of it and stalked away toward the bunkroom and another shower. A moment later, Arwyn's shorts came flying through the door, killing us again.

I love living with these guys.

**A/N: I think I'd love living with them, too! Please review, review! Have a great week!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: No Ninjago ownership here-RATS. I AM SOOOO GLAD THAT EVERYONE SEEMED TO ENJOY THE PRANK ON KAI! I'll probably never be able to repeat the success of that, but I'm at least trying! Hersheychoco101, I liked your idea and tried to use it! I hope it came out okay! Thank you everyone for reviewing for me! I NEED IT! XD I know this is a long chapter, bear with me. I wanted to have it all together in one. Hope you enjoy! R&R, please!  
**

**Chapter 15**

****Arwyn's POV**

I'm sorry, but that was hilarious! I hated to be laughing at my new teammate's humiliation, but it was funny, and even his sister was enjoying it, so, when in Rome…

To Kai's credit, I have to admit that he cut quite an impressive, well-sculpted figure, even covered with wet flour. He filled out my shorts nicely, too, although I wished the Italian had been the one in them, but I digress…

After that incident, the overall mood on the _Bounty_ seemed to lighten a bit for a while, and the intensity of my training eased somewhat. I started having breakthroughs more quickly. Within the first two weeks, I had figured out spinjitzu and gotten the hang of activating all of my elements to some degree. Happily, I was also getting hit a whole lot less.

On the fourth day, Sensei started summoning me to his quarters every day for tea, meditation, and tai chi. Curiously, he also questioned me in depth about my upbringing, my parents, and all the other details of my history. Spending time with him was very pleasant, and I looked forward to it each day.

However, I was also trying to scratch out time to get Cole alone, which was harder than I expected. If one or both of us wasn't training, cooking, doing chores, or being otherwise occupied by another of the _Bounty's_ residents, we were sleeping.

I couldn't understand how Nya and Jay found any opportunities to be alone around here. I guess that's why they got caught making out in the game room a lot. And the training rooms. And the bridge. Anyhoo…

After the moment Cole and I had had in the infirmary when I finished with his shoulder, I decided to try to get his attention as best I could, even if I couldn't be alone with him.

I didn't think I looked so bad in tight shirts and yoga pants, so I wore that in the evenings when we had a little time to gather in the game room. When we went running, I wore my fitted running tights and shirt. And stayed ahead of him.

I touched him in small ways whenever I could, like while passing things at mealtimes, leaning in to show him a newspaper article, when sitting by him during instruction in the bridge, and, of course, during training sessions. Usually his only reaction was to cut his eyes toward me, but at least I knew he had noticed.

Every night before I fell into my bed, I was sure to tell him 'good night' as he retreated to the bunkroom, wishing mine could be the last face he saw before he fell asleep and the first he saw upon waking.

I was so besotted that I even considered setting my clock to wake me in the middle of the night just to see if he might show up on the deck to be with me. And I _hate_ waking up in the middle of the night.

Yes, I had it bad for him, and it was getting worse by the day.

Once in a while I thought about something other than Cole. I'd call my parents in Miyagi and lie to them about still being in Ninjago City and taking a hiatus from my job to teach more self-defense. I'd tell them the truth eventually, but they worried so much about me that this was easier on all of us for now.

I'd call Sofiya to share news with her and warn her what to do if my parents showed up at my old apartment. However, I could have done all that through Zane, who made the trip into Ninjago City nearly every evening to see her. At least _someone_ was happily dating.

And speaking of Zane…One evening he and Cole decided the three of us needed to have a little discussion in the infirmary. With the door closed. I got a quick explanation about how Zane was special and what nindroids were. At first I laughed at them, folded my arms in front of me, and said, "Prove it."

Zane proceeded to strip to the waist, earning Cole a startled look from me, and popped open the little door in his chest. I probably had a really stupefied look on my face when I breathed, "Oh. Sofiya." Zane shrugged with a happy smile and said she knew and was fine with it.

_**What?!**_ I _lived_ with the nindroid, and he told my friend before he bothered to tell _me_?! I don't care what he was doing with her, I should have known first. And _she_ hadn't told me, either! I didn't like being last in on a secret. However, that explained a lot of things about him.

I was also considering ways to get Lloyd to accept me. One day when I was in between training instructors, I spotted him on the main deck moping around alone on the starboard railing. He and Kai had had a half-hearted spinjitzu training session that had produced less than spectacular results, so I decided to take a chance and intrude on his bad mood.

Approaching him cautiously, and expecting rejection, I leaned against the deck railing and looked out over the glaring Sea of Sand. I opened with, "Today's just not the day to get a good lesson out of Kai is it?" With his head resting on his folded arms on the railing, he didn't answer, but he didn't walk away or tell me to shut up, either. I had to take a different angle.

"You know, being that Lord Garmadon is your dad, and you're the grandson of the First Master of Spinjitzu, you might have a little elemental control in you." I saw I had kindled something in him when he raised his head to look at me. "Has anyone ever tried to see if you could use an element?" He shook his head in denial.

"Wanna give it a shot?" I suggested with raised eyebrows.

He eyed me with a small amount of suspicion. "You'd try to teach me to use an element?"

"Well, I know I'm not the best teacher for it," I admitted, "but we could try. There could be a spark inside you that just needs to be ignited."

He didn't hesitate. "I'd like that."

I pushed off of the railing and motioned for him to follow. "Let's go up on the bridge roof just for the heck of it. No one'll bother us there."

The wind whipped my hair as we reached the top of the bridge. We sat quietly a moment under the cloudy sky while I thought of the various ways the guys were trying to teach me to summon the elements. I had found the use of emotions to be most effective.

"We'll start with the easy one-fire. I want you to pull up times in your past when you've been angry or frustrated and impatient. Maybe like when you got stuck at Darkley's or when you got teased and bullied there."

"Or when the Serpentine betrayed me?" he questioned with an irritated edge to his voice.

"Anything," I answered quickly. "Just think about how it feels to be angry and frustrated, and concentrate on it. Pretend it's hot and bright like fire, and it's deep in your belly. Then it builds and comes up to your chest, along your arm, and out of your palm as a flame."

Lloyd closed his eyes and sat with his hands palm-up in his lap, not making a sound for several minutes. I was wondering if he had fallen asleep when a tiny flame suddenly flickered between his hands. His eyes flew open and an excited grin was on his face as he realized what had happened. I enthusiastically cheered my praise. Within another few minutes, he was able to produce a small flame on command.

Probably following the sound of my encouraging cries, Cole poked his head over the edge of the bridge's roof. "Jay's been looking all over for you to start his instruction, Arwyn," he said as he looked between the two of us. "What's going on up here?"

Without answering him, I addressed Lloyd. "Think you're ready to show someone your new power?" He nodded with a confidence he had not shown earlier. "Who do you want to be the first?"

Beaming, he looked at Cole who eagerly accepted the nonverbal invitation and swung himself up to land on the roof, parking himself next to me with a smile, his knee touching mine. He was appropriately supportive of Lloyd's demonstration.

From that afternoon on, Lloyd joined me in all of my elemental lessons with the guys, slowly discovering and developing a fledgling command of each element. Over time, he was less guarded with me and much friendlier. The only problem with that was that he was often Cole's shadow, and now he no longer disappeared when I came around. I swear I think Sensei was using him as a chaperon.

After about two weeks of training, Sensei finally gave us all a free afternoon which we six young adults used to run into Ninjago City. In civilian clothing, we goofed off and ran a couple of errands, finally stopping in at a coffee shop for snacks where Sofiya met us during her break between yoga classes.

Finding seats in the back surrounding a coffee table, Jay, Nya, and Kai took the couch. Cole sat in an armchair across from them, with Zane and Sofiya cuddling in a loveseat to his left. I sat on his right in another armchair across from the snuggly couple.

Seeing the pair across from me in the loveseat caused a small pang of longing in my heart, but I was happy for them. It also occurred to me uneasily that there were two people in this group who knew about my feelings for Cole.

Although I knew Sofiya wouldn't blab to Zane, since she hadn't even told _me_ she knew about the nindroid thing, I still wasn't so sure about the chattier one. I stayed on edge about him.

We settled down to a discussion about the menu. Cole and I finally agreed to share a slab of chocolate cake with our drinks, since I had a craving, but didn't want to stuff myself with such a huge piece.

To my great annoyance, our server, a pretty, petite, well-endowed blonde in tight, low-cut clothing, paid extra attention to our team leader when she came to take our orders, chatting and leaning in close to him like she was trying to get him to notice her cleavage. Her behavior brought up a topic of conversation after she left.

Leaning back against the couch cushions, Kai sighed and looked pointedly at Cole. "You know, Cole, there are two things that really irritate me about you," he began abruptly, causing everyone to tense visibly. His teammate gave him a wary look across the coffee table, as though he was afraid of what might come out of Kai's mouth next.

"Number one," Kai continued coolly, "every time we go someplace, you always have some girl throwing herself at you, which I don't understand when I'm sitting here, too. And, number two, you never take her up on it, which I also can't begin to understand. Why is that?" He gave Cole an exaggerated curious expression. I was curious, also.

Obviously embarrassed and a little annoyed by the first comment, Cole drilled the fire ninja with a sharp look and protested, "Women are _not_ always throwing themselves at me…"

"Well, maybe only _half _the time, then," Kai revised with a shrug. "But I still don't understand it."

To my surprise, Sofiya raised her hand with a sly smile. "I'll bet I can explain the first part, although only Cole can answer the other." Everyone turned to her with interest. She pursed her lips and visually surveyed the apprehensive ninja in his well-fitted, black henley and distressed jeans a moment before answering.

"He's got a dark, brooding, Roman look, a head of luscious hair, and he's totally ripped. Some might call him 'yummy'," she said matter-of-factly with a grin at me.

To Kai she added, "Not that you aren't, but Cole might have an edge." Fixing the ill at ease hunk with a look, she declared, "In fact, if you said something to that waitress in Italian, she would most likely instantly melt all over you."

Cole looked away from her and laughed nervously, glancing briefly at me, his cheeks turning a dusty pink. "That would so _not_ happen!"

To my dismay, Sofiya smiled challengingly. "Want to prove me wrong?" she prodded. "I dare you to try it." I looked hard at her, thinking, _What the hell are you doing?_

Jay shot me a look of alarm, then said to Sofiya uncertainly, "Um, are you sure you want him to do that?"

Sofiya just repeated to Cole, "I dare you." Interestingly, Nya was eyeing Cole with some disquiet.

Zane looked askance at his girlfriend, asking, "And what am I?" Kissing his neck, she said, "Baby, you _know_ where you rank!"

A moment later, the slutty waitress came up and began to serve everyone their drinks and snacks. She got to Cole last, of course, again leaning in very close to him as she did so. I was beginning to simmer and praying he would not accept Sofiya's challenge. But he just _had_ to try to disprove her theory.

Taking the cup and saucer she offered him, Cole took a deep breath and said hesitantly, "Grazie per il caffe` e torte, signorina."******

The tart's face lit up in a huge smile, and she flirtatiously touched his shoulder while gushing, "Oh, so cool! Lei sa Italiano! Anch'io!" _Crap! _I screamed mentally_. She speaks Italian?_

She glanced at me fleetingly before turning her greedy gaze back to Cole with an enticing smile. "I bet your girlfriend _loves_ to hear you speak to her like that." He stared at her, dumbstruck.

Kai grinned deviously with a raised eyebrow and spoke up. "Oh, she's not _his_ girlfriend," he informed her, pointing to himself with a thumb. "She's _mine_." He looked at me suggestively and winked.

Jay and Nya almost spit out their cappuccinos, apparently at Kai's audacity, and Cole glared from across the small table at his scheming brother. I sat stiffly with a poker face, looking straight at Zane and Sofiya as she giggled guiltily and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I avoided looking at Cole or Kai at all.

"_Really?_ Then maybe you could use this," she said while quickly scribbling something on a card she had pulled out of her pocket. She slipped it onto Cole's saucer. "I'll be leaving here in a couple of hours. Maybe I'll see you later, and we can practice our Italian," were the words I could just make out that she breathed near his reddened ear before going to her next station.

Removing the card from his saucer, Cole cast a fretful glance my way, which I pretended not to see. I was studying my mocha, steaming quietly in my chair, trying not to act like I cared, and wishing Sofiya had not opened her big mouth. Everyone else was snickering.

The blushing man leaned across the oval table towards Kai and hissed in indignation, "Why did you tell her Arwyn was _your_ girlfriend? Thanks a lot for the help avoiding the blonde, buddy! Here!" he flipped the card into Kai's lap. "Maybe _you_ would like her number!"

Smirking with amusement at Cole's irritation, Kai caught the card and leaned closer to his brother. "Well, Arwyn's not _your_ girlfriend, so why couldn't I tell the waitress she's mine? Besides," he sat back on the couch. "This was an experiment, but you should call her. You haven't had a date in, what_, forever_? And thanks," he tossed the card back at Cole. "But I'm not taking your cast-offs!"

_Please don't keep that, please don't keep that, please don't keep that!_

Sofiya attempted to make amends. "I'm sorry, Cole," she offered contritely. "I was just messing with you. I didn't think she would be quite so…receptive." She gave me an 'oops', which I answered with only a half-joking glare.

Trying to defuse the current situation, Nya glanced at me, then addressed Cole. "So with all the chances you get, why _don't_ you ask any of those women out?"

Cole squirmed in his seat, not looking in my direction, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. He finally chose to answer Nya with a sigh. "They just don't seem worth my time. I'm not really looking for what they're offering."

Kai rolled his eyes. "So what in the world _are_ you looking for, bro?" he asked, receiving an elbow in the ribs from Nya. He glared at her in annoyance.

"Cake," replied Cole decisively. Leaning in my direction, he smiled and asked lightheartedly, "Ready to split that small mountain you've got, Arwyn?"

I snapped up to attention at the mention of my name and handed him the plate. "You can start on it. Just leave me a little."

Jay piped up with a grin, thinking, I suppose, that he would be helping the situation. "Heh! A woman who'll let you eat her cake _and_ finish first! You can't ask for better than that, Co—ooph!" He shot a pained expression at Nya as she withdrew her elbow from his side.

Cole grimaced and shook his head at Jay's remark while he lifted the fork from the plate. I concealed a laugh behind my mug of mocha.

When we were ready to leave, the tramp came by to get our plates and cups, and, as the rest of our group headed to the cashier, I hung back and watched her inspecting Cole's broad shoulders and tight backside.

She was clearing the dishes from the coffee table, so I good-naturedly handed her my cake plate, which she immediately dropped with an involuntary jerk of her hand and a cry of pain.

As she shook her hand with a pained expression, as though to cool it, looking at me in a confused, but accusatory way, I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that a little warm?" Smiling spitefully, I added, "Ciao!" and turned away to join the others, not feeling the least bit repentant.

I also noted with relief that her card had stayed on the table.

****Cole's POV**

I honestly don't know what Sofiya or I was thinking by pulling that in the coffee shop. I guess we were both trying to prove a point, and it pretty much backfired in my face. I didn't need Kai bringing that up in front of Arwyn, either. It made me sound like a player or something. I was hoping she wasn't going to act differently with me afterwards. But she actually seemed to be in a pretty good mood when we left there, so I guess it was all good.

After that scene, I pondered Kai's question about what I was looking for in a woman when I apparently could have my pick of several. The fact remained that the one I truly wanted, I felt I didn't deserve, and Sensei was telling me I couldn't have. Kinda ironic.

As I fell asleep later, I was also wondering if I shouldn't repay Kai for the 'help' he had given me with the waitress.

I woke slowly in the middle of the night to Jay's mumbling in the bunk above me. This wasn't unusual as he could talk nonstop if you let him, including in his sleep, as he was now doing. Most nights I'd just kick the underside of his bunk which would wake him enough to shut him up.

This time I tried to ignore it, rolling onto my belly and covering my head with my pillow. Although I could still hear his murmuring a little, I could probably have gone back to sleep…if I hadn't heard him say Arwyn's name.

My head shot up, sending the pillow flying to the floor. My heart pounding, I lay still, straining to hear and staring into the semi-darkness as Jay continued to mutter. After a couple of minutes, his soft chattering became clearer, and I could make out a few phrases.

"Arwyn…Arwyn, come on…have to tell…" I held my breath. "…can't hold it much longer…" What the FRICK?! Why was he dreaming about _her_, and what was he talking about?!

As he continued to mumble her name, my mind started racing as I started thinking of some of the times I knew he had been around her and how he had acted afterward. Like when he was very evasive during my questioning after he had spent the day guarding her. What had they done all day together?

He took her alone to the infirmary a couple of days later. At that time I had heard him say 'You need to tell him' when I was walking in there. She had said it was about stocking the place, but he had seemed kinda nervous when he saw me.

On her first training day, when we had all gone running together to check Arwyn's endurance, he and Kai had ogled her in her running outfit of a fitted long-sleeved shirt and tights. He had then stayed up with her and Zane, goofing off with her the whole way. Kai and I had been stuck behind them, and although the view was awfully nice, I didn't like not being in the lead.

After that, she was distracted by his showing-off on the deck right before I coldcocked her. He had taken advantage of that and bounded immediately to her aid, whisking her to the kitchen to fuss over her. Now he was crooning her name in his sleep?! I hadn't thought _Jay_ would be a rival.

Irritated, I rolled over and sat up in my bed as Kai did the same. From his bunk above Zane's, he hissed to me crossly, "Is he talking about _Arwyn_?!"

I didn't answer as I rose from my bunk with a frown and stood facing Jay's sleeping form on the upper berth with my hands on my hips, waiting for more. "…have to tell him…Arwyn…"

Kai slid down from his bunk, landing noiselessly on the wooden floor and coming to stand beside me in a red T-shirt and boxers that actually fit him. We both glared at the unconscious lightning ninja.

In his white pajamas, Zane rose from his bed, sensing the rising irritation from Kai and me, and covertly whispered, "His sleep talking could be completely innocuous, but do not wake him. I may be able to capture something just in case…"

Kai was getting more irate as Jay jabbered on, and he wasn't alone. Finally leaning in near Jay's ear, he softly asked from between gritted teeth, "What about _Nya_?" There was a pause in the monologue before Jay responded, "…she doesn't matter…doesn't need to know…" _Oh, he didn't_…

Kai reached upward, aiming for Jay's throat, but I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back, warning him urgently, "Not yet! He might not be done!"

Putting his face close to mine, he angrily whispered back, "Oh, he's done! He's talking like he's cheating on Nya, so I get to kill him if he is!" I nodded, thinking, _We might have to flip a coin for that honor_, and we turned back to listen to what else the Flash had to say.

We didn't have to wait long. With a smile on his sleeping face, Jay said, "…please, Arwyn…I want you to…let me do it…" We had both heard enough. I grabbed him first, pulling him swiftly from the top bunk by his shoulders while Kai had his ankles. He went down to the floor with a thud.

Jolted awake, with the breath knocked out of him, Jay lay on his back on the floor for a moment before sitting up in the dimness and looking around in confusion. Noticing us, he looked up at Kai and me as we stood scowling over him. "Wh-whassup, guys?" he asked, bleary-eyed.

Lloyd rolled over on his small cot on the far side of the room, sleepily rubbing his eyes and asking, "What's going on?" I glanced up at him and ordered curtly, "Don't worry about us, Lloyd. Go back to sleep."

"Yeah, right. Like I could with all this noise," he retorted before sitting up to take in the show. Already annoyed, Kai looked over at him with knitted brows and said, "Remind me again why he's even in here with us?" I rolled my eyes. "Because he didn't want to be alone. Get back to the program here!"

Standing up between the two sets of beds in his blue T-shirt and pajama pants, Jay repeated, "What's up?" as he faced Kai and me.

Zane walked to the door and flipped the light switch as I stepped toward Jay, causing him to take a nervous step backward. "You're talking about Arwyn in your sleep, Jay," I said unsmiling in a low, tense voice. "What's going on between you two that you need to tell someone something?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Me t-talking about _her_…?" Jay stammered in denial.

"Play it back, Zane," Kai instructed the ice ninja irritably. Zane dutifully replayed his digital recording of Jay's last few utterances up to the thud when he was rudely pulled from his bed.

Blanching, Jay exclaimed, "I swear, there's nothing to talk about, _nothing_!"

"Don't give us that! Are you cheating on Nya?!" Kai demanded hotly, forcing Jay to take another step back as he leaned toward him.

Towering over him, I pressed a little more from his other side. "What are you hiding, Jay? What's your secret?" I could tell from the look on his face, a little more of this, and we could probably have him spilling his guts.

"You had better _not_ hurt Nya!" yelled Kai as he pointed in Jay's face.

The Master of Lightning looked about ready to freak as he backed away from the two of us, cornering himself against the wall between the pair of bunk beds. Holding both hands up in a defensive pose, he looked at me, insisting, "I can't say!" To Kai, he said, "And I'm not!" Okay, this was when torture would come in handy.

I didn't have the patience for this at this hour. I reached out and grabbed Jay by the shirt, pulling him out of the corner and into the middle of the room where Kai and I could get at him better. I glimpsed Zane in my peripheral vision about to intervene if we got physical.

Nevertheless, I went on. "Tell us before this gets ugly, Jay," I warned him without letting go of the shirt.

"I can't! I swore I wouldn't! …Well, I didn't actually _swear,_ but she'll kill me if I tell! I'm not going to tell!" he yammered away, wild-eyed and obviously running out of options.

Kai eased closer with a low growl, and I put my hand on his chest to hold him back. "Who are you more concerned about, Jay? Arwyn?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Or Kai?" I wasn't actually gonna let the firebrand loose on him, but I needed some leverage.

Jay looked at Kai with uneasy determination and maintained his innocence. "I'M NOT CHEATING ON NYA! This is not _my_ secret!" He could see we weren't buying it. Taking a breath, he looked at me with resignation. "Okay, Cole…Arwyn is—"

BAM! The bunkroom door opened suddenly and slammed against the wall, causing us all to start a little.

"_**JAY!"**_ Arwyn stood frowning in the doorway wearing a camisole top and sleep boxers with her legs braced apart, one hand on the door, the other on the opposite doorjamb. "What is going on in here?!" she asked a little loudly.

_Well, crap. This looks great_, I thought derisively, looking back at Jay who seemed thankful that the cavalry had arrived. I still had a grip on the front of his T-shirt, so I let go of that and nonchalantly brushed the creases out of it while I looked back at her, saying, "Nothing. Nothing at all. What makes you say that?"

She didn't change her stance as she answered me more calmly. "Your elements bombarded me awake, and then I hear you yelling from down the hall. At two in the morning." Easing up, she strode into the room, coming to stop next to Jay and me and crossing her arms, continuing sarcastically. "Then I find Jay about to get thrashed, so naturally, I'm a little curious." Turning to Jay, she asked, "So, what's up?"

Laughing a little nervously, he mimicked me, "Nothing. Nothing at all!"

Everyone in the room sheepishly avoided eye contact with her as Arwyn surveyed the place, nodded a little, then let her gaze rest on Lloyd on his cot. "And _this_ is how they teach you to resolve issues?" she asked him with a look of disapproval. He looked at me and shrugged.

Apparently dismissing the idea of us being more civilized, she took Jay's elbow and steered him toward the door, saying, "May I see you outside for a moment?" He looked a little uncomfortable, but followed her out, most likely just to get away from Kai and me.

She ducked back in to the grab the door handle and pull the door closed behind them, giving all of us a stern look as she did so.

Kai, Zane, and I stood looking at each other in silence for a moment, a little humbled by our attack on a sleeping teammate. I would rather have been caught duct-taping him to his bed than accosting him for talking during a dream.

I was wondering what was going on in the hallway when Kai asked Zane, "Do you think he was telling the truth? About Nya?"

Zane nodded with certainty. "Indeed. I did not sense anything other than the truth from him." He paused with a small smile. "That and consternation."

"What do you think about the other thing he said?" I inquired, hoping he could shed some light on that.

"Again, I sensed only the truth," remarked Zane. "Apparently she has divulged some kind of information to him."

What could she possibly have shared with Jay that she had failed to tell me the night I spent with her at her apartment? We had talked about so many things in our lives, in our histories, about our hopes and dreams. What did Jay know that she wouldn't share with me?

Lloyd was settling back down on his cot, realizing the action was dying down. Kai climbed back onto his bunk, saying, "Well, five-thirty comes early, guys. I'm going back to sleep."

Zane nodded agreement, shutting off the light and sliding back under his covers. I was left standing in the middle of the room for a moment, torn between going out to check on them or at least listening at the door. I finally decided to get back into bed instead of acting like an obsessed stalker.

A few minutes later, after Kai's snoring had started up, Jay crept quietly into the room, and climbed onto his bunk. He quickly settled down and slept the rest of the night without making a sound.

I know, because I didn't.

[[Grazie per il caffe` e torte, signorina (thank you for the coffee and cake, miss)

Lei sa Italiano (you know Italian)

Anch'io (I do, too)

Ciao (goodbye)]]

**A/N: Have a great week! Don't forget to leave a review! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I don't own Ninjago, just my OCs. Thank you loads for the reviews, although I am ALWAYS hoping for more! Please read and review! Sorry this one is shorter, and it's not as cool as Ch. 14, which was probably my pinnacle, but anyway... I'm always striving! This will be wrapping up in another 2 or 3 chapters, so stay with me! I need to finish this, and I need support to do so! Brownies with chocolate icing to everyone who reviews!  
**

**Chapter 16**

****Arwyn's POV**

Dragging Jay into the corridor by my bedroom, I pushed him firmly against the wall, and, with an edge to my voice and my hands on my hips, quietly started on him. "_What_ was going _on_ in there?"

When he opened his mouth to speak, I poked a finger in his chest. "And don't say 'nothing' when everybody's up grappling at two AM, and I heard you say my name before I opened the door!"

Reluctantly, he looked up at me with a sigh and spoke in hushed tones. "I said your name in my sleep, and Kai and Cole flew off the handle. Kai thinks I'm after you and cheating on Nya! Cole thinks…hell, I never know _what_ Cole's thinking, but he was definitely _not _happy!" He regarded me with frustration. "I'm about to get my _butt _kicked over your secret, Arwyn!"

When he took a breath, I nervously tried to get more details out of him. "What _exactly_ did they hear you say?" _Please don't have told him!_

"Just that you needed to tell someone something. Which you do!" he stressed. Brightening with a grin, he continued, "But even in my sleep, I kept the secret. How crazy is that?"

"Is this a first? Kudos for you," I praised unenthusiastically, but I was relieved that he hadn't blabbed it all.

"This is getting serious, Arwyn," he said softly, losing the smile. "I don't know if I can do this much longer if those two are on my back."

"Seriously, Jay? What do you want me to tell him? 'Cole, Jay's health is in danger for secret-keeping, so I have to confess that I've been crazy in love with you since the day we met'?" I dramatically waved my arms while I whispered. _Did I just say 'in love'? …Yes, I did. _

He looked at me with a straight face and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Give it up, Jay. I'm not talking before he does," I shot back with determination.

"Really? Hmmm…" He assumed a thoughtful expression, making me more nervous.

"What?" I asked uneasily.

"Eh, just wondering what it might take to get Cole to confess to something like that," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "And why he's clamming up to begin with."

"He has to feel it to confess it," I sighed resignedly, with a hand on my door.

Jay gave a short, quiet laugh. "Oh, he feels something alright! I didn't nearly get creamed just now for nothing!"

Opening my bedroom door, I started to walk inside, but stopped a moment. "I'd really like to think that, Jay, but I need something concrete. Go back to bed, and please don't give me away."

"I'll do my best," he yawned as he turned toward the dark bunkroom.

Crawling back into bed, I started thinking about the energy I was putting into just trying to maintain this secret. Yes, I was tired of fighting this battle, but could I risk opening myself up and getting burned, then having to live with the guy?

Although he sometimes acted distant and aloof with me, when I examined the overall evidence, I got more hopeful that Jay was correct, and Cole really did have feelings for me.

He didn't have to tell me so much about himself like he did that first night I knew him or meet me on the deck or hold me when I asked him to do so.

Then there was his attack on Jin Kita, which I would like to think was more than just protective gallantry, and his reaction to Kai kissing me. Had an unspoken rule been broken there, or was he jealous?

Besides that, was the way he had so gently touched my face in the infirmary, while his eyes had held what seemed to be an intense, aching hunger, mirroring what I was feeling constantly.

If I really thought about it, there were dozens of little things-looks, remarks, touches-throughout each day that _could_ be indications that he wanted me. And, if so,_ why_ would he _not_ just _tell_ me?! What was wrong with me?

What _was_ wrong with me? I had just admitted to Jay something I had not yet admitted to _myself. _I did not have a crush on Cole. I was not just physically attracted to him. _I was in love with him. _I felt something for him ten times stronger than I'd _ever_ felt for Keiji. Why was I denying it, denying myself?

Why couldn't I just do like Sofiya and put it all out there, then deal with it? Of course, it helped her that Zane had blatantly put it all out there himself. She didn't have to guess how he was feeling. He'd had no qualms about letting her know right away.

That's where my doubts came in. If Cole felt the way I hoped he did, what was keeping him from telling me?

Perhaps I needed to be more like Zane and just admit it to him? Maybe if I could get some time alone with him…

****Cole's POV**

I met Arwyn in the kitchen at five-thirty since I knew she was in charge of breakfast this morning, and it might be the only time I could see her alone today.

The first thing I wanted to do when I saw her was to greet her with the hungriest, deepest kiss of her life until we were both gasping for air, but I didn't relish dealing with the consequences of possibly being caught doing that. Especially by Sensei.

I was forced to choose the second item on my agenda, which was questioning her about Jay, but our initial conversation was casual as I helped her begin preparations for cheese omelets, toasted bagels, and fruit.

She acted as though nothing had occurred in the middle of the night, and I tried to do the same until I couldn't stand it anymore and had to bring it up while I started the coffee and teapots.

"So what did Jay tell you about what happened earlier?" I asked, trying to sound relaxed.

"You were in the room with him, don't you remember what happened?" she came back teasingly as she lifted an omelet from the pan and plated it.

Pressing my lips together, I thought, _She can't just make this easy_. Checking her out from the corner of my eye, I said, "I mean, I'm wondering if he told you the truth."

We were working at separate counters, which were perpendicular to each other. With her side to me and her hair down, I couldn't see her face when she replied, "Why wouldn't he?"

"Well, maybe he wouldn't want to get in trouble with you over something," I fished as I gathered utensils and paper towels for the table.

"You mean like saying my name in his sleep?" she inquired, acknowledging that she knew exactly what I was alluding to. "Why would _**I**_ want to hurt him over that?"

I paused in my task and reacted defensively to what sounded like an accusation. "We weren't actually gonna hurt Jay…"

"Glad to hear that, being that he didn't do anything _wrong_," she retorted as she scrambled the batch of eggs a little more energetically than necessary.

This wasn't going the way I thought it would. "Well, you know Kai. He got a little upset with Jay talking about you and all," I responded, hoping to minimize my part in that incident. "He's just afraid Nya'll get hurt."

"He wasn't the one with a fistful of Jay, though, was he?" Her response sounded like an interrogation.

"Um…I was mediating…" I fumbled as I buttered the bagel halves. Why did I have the feeling I was losing control of this?

"I guess that's why Zane was standing by ready to break things up, just in case your _arbitration_ was a failure?" She still had her back to me as she scraped the egg mixture in the pan with her spatula.

I looked at her incredulously for a moment. Did she miss _anything_ in that room this morning? "Um…" I needed to get this back on track. "The real question is why is he was dreaming about you to begin with."

"The human mind works in strange and mysterious ways," was her smart-alecky answer while she added cheese to the cooking egg, still not facing me. "We can't control who or what we dream about."

"Doubtless," I admitted, thinking of a way to nail this one. "But he fessed up to knowing something about you that you told him to keep to himself." I watched as her spine straightened and she paused in her work. That hit the mark!

"Did he omit _that_ tidbit of information?" I asked tauntingly, smiling triumphantly as I continued buttering. "Maybe he didn't want to alert you that he let the cat out of the bag."

She kept her eye on the pan as she poured the next omelet. "He did no such thing," she replied coolly. Turning to look me straight in the face, she smiled smugly. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if he had."

Okay, I wasn't expecting that. "Maybe I'm just waiting for you to admit it openly," I said, trying to recover my footing as I slid the bagels into the toaster oven.

She huffed a bit as she scraped the pan more. "I seriously doubt it."

Now she had me even more concerned about what he knew if she expected me to react a certain way over it, but I tried to control that. It was obvious that bluffing wasn't going to work on her. "You and I talked about a lot of things that first night. What could you _not_ have told me that you told Jay?"

"I'm sure there's something. Just like I'm sure you didn't tell me everything you could have, either," she countered smoothly.

I started to deny that, but there _were_ some things I had not disclosed. Like some embarrassing stunts I pulled as a teenager or the fact that I was a twenty-two-year-old, Italian virgin. I wasn't sure she would see that as a good thing or not. Maybe it was my male ego, but what if she thought there was something wrong with me?

There was also the other thing about how I was so crazy about her and thought about her constantly and dreamed about doing certain things with her most nights. Thank God I wasn't talking in _my _sleep, I'd have to move Lloyd out of the bunkroom if that was the case.

"You know nearly everything about me," I assured her as I leaned back against the counter.

"And you know everything about me that you need to know right _now_," she stated frankly with a confident smile, sliding the last omelet onto the stack on the platter.

'Right now'? I didn't like the sound of that. "I should know everything _now,_" I asserted impatiently. I was beginning to hear stirring in the dining area and knew we'd soon be interrupted.

Arwyn looked at me with an indignant frown. "You're not entitled to know everything about everybody around here!"

_Oh, gimme a break!_ "As the leader of this team, I need to know everything that might compromise the integrity of the team." I knew I was grasping at straws here, but I was running out of time!

"I don't think knowledge of my information would be considered a breach in the team's security!" she snapped, evidently growing annoyed with my insinuations. She turned on her heel toward the exit to the dining room, adding sharply, "You're scorching the bagels!" as she marched out.

During breakfast, Arwyn and I made nice and smiled, keeping leery eyes on each other the whole time. The one time I made eye contact with Jay, she gave me a withering look, so I smiled and waved sweetly at him, which seemed to alarm him a bit. I hadn't meant to do that.

I was thoroughly aggravated that she resisted revealing whatever Jay knew, and I'm sure she was ticked off with me for being so insistent about wanting to know. Well, I wasn't done with her yet.

I wasn't able to get at her again later in the morning, since Jay and Kai were training her at separate times after our morning run. Finally, she was mine again in the afternoon for training with the bo staff, during which I now insisted she wear the kendo helmet.

It was a warm, sunny day, and while she and I were getting ready to train on the main deck, the rest of the team was doing other exercises nearby. Lloyd, Nya, and Sensei were strolling in and out of the bridge on the quarterdeck overhead, enjoying the pleasant weather. There was no one within earshot of the two of us.

We were going to work on routine techniques I had covered with her before, then do a little sparring, but first I wanted to get back to our conversation in the kitchen. "So, what would you like to tell me that Jay won't?" I began offhandedly.

"Not a thing," was her curt reply as she warmed up with her bo by doing a frontal spin on her wrists, then passing it around her back. At least she smiled when she said it.

I sighed as I did figure-eights to loosen up with my staff. "You know that you can tell me anything, and it'll remain a secret, and I won't be at all judgmental," I promised her, hoping to remind her of our rapport as confidants.

She spun her bo overhead, bringing it down and under her arm for a headshot. "I know that, Valerio," she said confidently.

I winced slightly at her use of my first name out in the open, looking quickly left and right, although I knew no one else could hear it. "Then why won't you tell me?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound like I was pleading. I wasn't quite that desperate. Yet.

She flashed me an obstinate look. "Because I'm not ready to." Stopping her spinning, she demanded, "Let's get on with the training!"

"Fine!" I returned. "We'll get down to business, if that's what you want." I pulled up my mask and jumped immediately from warming up to sparring, skipping the practice maneuvers. If she wanted to train, we'd train!

As I went on the offensive against her, she hesitated briefly, but quickly started to improvise by using the defensive moves I'd been teaching her. For a while, she was doing fairly well, but after a few minutes she started backing up a little every time I struck her staff forcefully.

Granted, I was probably hitting her with about a ton of pressure, but she _was_ the Green Ninja and getting almost as strong as I was, so she should have been able to handle it better.

"Stand your ground firmly!" I instructed her after coming at her with a particularly fierce strike. "Your enemy will use your retreat to his advantage!" She glared at me while lunging forward for a stab.

We continued to spar, and she continued to back up each time our staffs connected.

I saw it coming long before she backed herself against the quarterdeck wall, and, for some reason, thought I could teach her a good lesson about not doing that again. When she was a couple of feet from it, I lunged forward with the staff in both hands, aiming to trap her.

She brought her staff up to block, managing to stop my bo, but found herself caught against the wall with her own bo across her upper chest as mine pressed hard against it.

When she realized what she'd done, Arwyn's look of dismay and uncertainty through the bars of the kendo helmet made me sneer. "I _told_ you to stand firm!" I chided her roughly. "Now what are you gonna do?" Her confidence wavered as she fought against me and tried to decide how to move next.

During the lull, the sudden awareness of how close we stood to one another struck me. Our bodies nearly touching, we were sharing the same breath as we recovered from the exertion of sparring. I caught a fleeting look in her eyes that told me she was acutely aware of this, also.

My mind was about to wander into forbidden territory when I was alerted by a look of determination that crossed her face. I felt her shift her weight to her left leg, probably preparing to apply a self-defense technique on me that I would sincerely regret, even if I deserved it.

I quickly refocused and stepped even closer to her, jamming my left boot between hers, and placing my right one outside of her left, stopping her from completing the move. With our knees and thighs now touching, I was dangerously close to being driven to distraction as I kept her restrained with the bo, waiting for her to try another move or concede defeat.

Concentrating on the training maneuver was a near impossible task for me as Arwyn struggled against my bo, but somehow I managed to stay in the role of instructor. "You _can't_ let this happen in battle," I scolded down into her ear as she grimaced and strained harder against my staff with her own, in an effort to get it off of her shoulders. "What'll you do then?"

She suddenly set her jaw and narrowed her eyes, crying, _"This!"_ as she wrapped her right leg around the back of my left knee and pulled, causing my leg to collapse.

At the same time, she thrust all of her power and weight onto my bo and upper body with her own, pushing me backward just enough. I wasn't expecting _more_ body contact and was caught totally off-guard as we started to go down.

Eyes wide, I instinctively released my bo, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other arm flailing in an unsuccessful attempt to stop our fall. We landed hard on my back, knocking the breath from me, our legs still entwined. Most of her weight landed on her bo which had pinned me by the shoulders to the deck floor.

But, to make matters worse, her left thigh had still managed to catch me in the area I had been trying to protect with my last footing adjustment. _Oooh, epic failure_…

Thankfully, I couldn't see her look of victory with my eyes squeezed shut in pain. As she disentangled herself and hopped off of me, I reflexively curled onto my side, hearing Lloyd's annoying singsong chant from above me, "You got beat by a gir-rl! You got beat by a gir-rl!"

I knew without looking that Sensei had taken it all in and was probably viewing me now with disapproval from next to Lloyd. All of the laughter ringing in my ears came from the three traitors I called brothers who had witnessed the scuffle from the main deck when they should have been doing their own thing.

A shadow crossed my face as I held my breath in the fetal position, and I opened one eye to find my assailant kneeling by my side with a troubled expression. "Cole, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you like that," she said sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay," I gasped reassuringly from between clenched teeth as the pain slowly eased. "It hurts…more knowing…you have a…secret with Jay."

Bull's-eye. Her eyes hardened, and she frowned before standing quickly, uttering "Stronzo!" sharply, and walking away from me.

I quickly opened both eyes in surprise, lifting my head to watch her as she stomped across the deck. _When the heck did she learn to curse in Italian?_

**_A/N: Don't forget to tip! R&R below, please! Also, what are your thoughts on whether or not I should add a little fight/battle scene to this before I end it? Let me know with a note.  
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	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Idonotownninjago. Thank you to all who read and reviewed my last chapter, although it was not the greatest. I'm hoping this one is better! (I like it:) Anyway, please be nice and R&R anyway! Hope you enjoy! (BTW, it's killing me that this story is about to end!X(  
**

**Chapter 17**

****Cole's POV**

Surprisingly, I didn't get called immediately to the principal's office, uh, Sensei's quarters, after the bo staff fiasco, so after my shower and a quick raid of the kitchen, I found my way over to Arwyn's bedroom about an hour before suppertime.

With a pink, plundered cupcake in hand, I knocked on her door which was slightly ajar. I could see her sitting cross-legged on the floor going through a box of books.

She had pulled her hair back with a wide headband after showering and was wearing a snug, purple tank and jeans shorts. I appreciated that outfit a lot more than her helmet and gi. She just waved me in wordlessly, without looking up.

I left the door open as I stepped inside, since I didn't need Sensei getting on me about doing anything inappropriate in her bedroom.

After padding up to her bare-footed in my black lounging pants and T-shirt, I squatted beside her, pushing my damp bangs away from my brows, and held the cupcake within her field of vision. She stopped the rummaging, gazed at it for a moment, then looked questioningly up at me.

"Strawberry," I identified with raised brows and an upbeat tone. "Zane just iced it. He wasn't very happy that I took it away from its family, but he added extra icing just for you." She continued to eye me. "It's a peace offering for my harassment today," I explained briefly, adding, "Even though I kinda already paid my dues."

Raising one eyebrow and a corner of her mouth, her eyes never leaving mine, she commented, "I hope nothing was permanently damaged."

I smirked a bit when I returned her gaze steadily and answered with total certainty, "Oh, I guarantee, everything's still in proper working order."

As though to test my bold statement, she took the cupcake from me and ran a fingertip across the top of it. Bringing the pink icing to her lips, she licked it in an agonizingly seductive manner, all the while intently watching my reaction, finally gently sucking the last bit from the tip of her finger.

I nearly lost my balance and put down a hand to catch myself. My face was flushing, and my mouth was dry and involuntarily dropping open. _Dear Lord, what is she doing…?!_

I sat down hard on the floor across from her, snapping my mouth closed, trying to look anywhere else, yet unable to tear my eyes away, trying to think of something else, but I couldn't. _Green Ninja, Green Nin_…

When she looked at me innocently and quietly asked, "Would you like some?" I almost responded, '_**YES!**_Anything you'll give me!,' but I only managed to nod.

Splitting the cupcake in half, Arwyn offered me a share, which I took with a shaky hand. Thankfully, she ate the rest less provocatively, otherwise, I would have had to leave the room to save us both.

After the snack, when I thought I could speak without my voice cracking, I offered an apology. "I'm sorry about bugging you so much today about your…secret. I guess when you're ready, you'll let me know."

All she returned was, "Uh huh," as she reached up and lightly rubbed the edge of my bottom lip with a thumb. I know I had what she probably interpreted as a look of fear as I struggled against responding to her touch. I wasn't trusting myself much at the moment.

"Just a little icing there," she explained. Stopping her hand halfway to her mouth she asked, "Do you want it?"

_Oh, you have __**no**__**idea**__**how**__**much! **_I thought, but I just shook my head 'no' as I watched her shrug and lick her thumb before she resumed digging in the box between her knees.

The idea that she may be deliberately tormenting me flashed through my mind, but I tried to dismiss it as wishful thinking. I had also tried to dismiss the way she had undressed me in the infirmary and the numerous ways she touched me and talked to me each day. _Insert Green Ninja mantra here, and change the subject, Cole. _

Leaning back against the chest of drawers, I took a calming breath, trying to regain control and think of a new topic. "That was a kinda interesting word you used on me on the deck," I stated with a hint of a grin. "Where'd you learn it?" _Hopefully not some hot ex-boyfriend_.

She gave me a quick look from the corner of her eye. "Sofiya hooked me up about a week ago with a friend of hers named Renata (re NAH teh) who's taught me some phrases over the phone a couple of times. She thought that one might be useful in dealing with the likes of you guys." She looked thoughtful a moment. "In fact, given her personality, I wonder if she and Kai…"

I chuckled at the thought of her setting up another ninja with another of her girlfriends. "You know you could ask me if you want to learn Italian," I offered as I watched her flip through a scrapbook.

"I thought about that," she admitted, closing the book and looking up at me, "But you're never available, and I didn't want to bother you."

It really disappointed me that I was missing out on an excuse to spend time with her. "I can be available, and it will definitely _not _be a bother," I insisted, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.

"You still owe me dance lessons, too," she said with a little smile, reminding me of my vow during our first long conversation.

"Ooh, you're right!" I remembered suddenly. "I guess we got busy with other things." I paused thoughtfully a moment while Arwyn sat patiently. Finally I said decidedly, "I'm going to teach you to tango."

She sat back in surprise. "Whoa, kinda putting the cart before the horse, aren't you? I can't dance at all, but you'll teach me to _tango_?"

I smiled reassuringly. "It's not that difficult. If you can get spinjitzu, which you have, then you can certainly tango."

Looking unconvinced, she said hesitantly, "But isn't the tango very…sensual?"

_And your little demonstration with the icing __**wasn't**__?_ I thought. Controlling my regret, I agreed, "Yeah, but it's a beautiful couple's dance. Unless you'd rather something modern for a single dancer. What are you afraid of?"

"Only screwing up," she confessed rather hurriedly.

I laughed lightly. "There are no screw-ups in the tango. If you screw up, we just get tangled up and tango on." _Which I'm counting on_.

For a moment, she considered my challenge while regarding me, finally accepting my offer. "Okay. If you have the patience and courage, then we can give it a try."

"'Patience and courage'? Hey, I train with Kai," I said with all sincerity. "How hard can teaching you to dance be?" She smiled while pulling another book from the box which got my attention. "What's all of this?" I inquired curiously.

"Oh, just a bunch of my old scrapbooks and sketchbooks I've had since I was a kid," she said nostalgically.

We'd been so busy, I'd almost forgotten that she'd told me she liked to sketch in pencil. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," I said with a cocked eyebrow and a rakish grin.

Arwyn looked quickly at me with slightly scandalized amusement. "Our _sketches,_" I clarified, holding up a finger. _But I'd rather it was other things, if you'd agree_, I admitted to myself, following that up with the familiar mantra as penance.

Smirking, she opened the book. "Okay, just promise that you'll only say good things about them," she warned, apparently lacking confidence in her talent.

"Hey, I'm no Renoir, either, I just like to sketch. Whether anyone else likes it or not doesn't matter, only whether or not you like doing it, right?" I said encouragingly.

She nodded slowly, and, sitting side-by-side, we proceeded to look through a book of her more recent pencil drawings. She seemed a little insecure about them at first, almost holding her breath as I quietly examined them, but she soon relaxed and explained each one as we flipped pages and I made positive comments.

When we finished the first book, I reached into the box for another sketchbook, but it happened to be a colorful scrapbook with 'ARWYN RIE SAITO' in bold letters on the cover. "What's this one?" I asked, waiting for an invitation to open it.

"It's the baby book my mother put together," she answered with a small smile. "I haven't looked at it in _years._" Taking it from me, she opened it to the first page, on which was a large photo of a smiling baby girl of about one-and-a-half years with large brown eyes and wavy black hair. "This was the first photo my parents took of me, the day after they got me."

Touching the baby's face on the photo, I spoke softly, "You were such a beautiful, sweet-looking baby."

Seeming somewhat surprised at my remark, she looked at me and asked, "You think so?"

Smiling, I nodded while still looking at the photo. "Of course, I think all babies are sweet," I replied honestly. "I'd like to have a couple one day." I hoped I wasn't sounding like I was implying anything, I just really liked kids. Of course, I _could_ have been implying.

She didn't comment, just continued to contemplate me another moment while I avoided eye contact. I was a little unsure of how she was interpreting that.

Reaching across the book in her lap, I turned the page in an effort to break the vaguely awkward moment. What was revealed caused us both to stiffen and gasp a little in shock.

There on the second page was a large rough sketch of a multi-petalled flower in a circle. Sensei Wu's flower of tranquility. Under the sketch was a handwritten caption, which read, '_embroidery on white jacket of the Angel who brought us Arwyn'_.

I turned my gaze quickly to Arwyn who held her hand to her mouth and was staring at the drawing with astonishment. I felt about the same way she looked. It must have truly been a few years since she'd looked at this book if she hadn't recognized Sensei's flower when she saw it on him.

I peered back at the book and saw that she pointed to the next page on which was a handwritten passage entitled, _'Our Greatest Gift, by Sora Saito'. _"My mother wrote it. Read it aloud," whispered Arwyn with her eyes closed. "I don't remember everything." I did as she asked.

"_On the night of August eighth, Ryo and I received the greatest gift of all in the most unlikely of ways." _

"_We were about to sit down to supper after the usual hard day of work when a knock came at the door. There stood an older gentleman with a long white beard and mustache, carrying a bamboo staff and a large pouch on his back. He wore a white gi and a rice hat, and in his arms he held a bundle wrapped in a thin, cotton blanket."_

"_He asked only for a little water. When the bundle moved, he uncovered the most angelic face I have ever seen. We immediately invited him in, and he accepted. He sat at the table with us and at first refused our offer of supper, but we insisted. I wanted him busy so I could hold the sleeping baby!" _

"_While he ate he asked about our home and our marriage, commenting on the fact that he saw no children here. That's when I started to cry."_

"_He told us your name was Arwyn, and that your mother had recently died. He didn't give his name, but said that he was a teacher who was forced to travel and who lived in conditions unfit for a baby."_

"_He said, 'I love this child more than anything else, but because of that, I cannot keep her with me.' He asked if we thought we could welcome you into our home. It was unbelievable. We said '__**Yes!'**__ right away!"_

"_He then took you from me to look at you one last time and kissed you gently. Ryo and I told him he could visit whenever he wished, but that he could never take you back. Through tear-filled eyes, he thanked us, and said, 'I will come if I can and only if it is safe for her'. He handed you back to me, warning us to keep you safe as there may be some who would want to see you harmed. He then disappeared into the night." _

Under the account was another note which I also read._ "Addendum: Arwyn is now ten years old, and he has not yet returned."_

When I had finished reading, I turned toward Arwyn who had opened her eyes and was staring straight ahead. A tear was slowly making its way over her cheek. I barely resisted the urge to kiss it away.

Her voice was a dejected whisper. "He left me and never came back, not even once, to see me again. How could he, if he loved me so much?" She looked at me a little sadly for an answer I couldn't provide. "Who is he to me, and why hasn't he told me about this?"

I put my right arm around her and pulled her against my chest. She turned her face into the hollow of my shoulder, and I reached up to hold her head there with my left hand, resting my jaw against her hair.

In an effort to console her, I said, "Only Sensei can give you the whole story. But, he did say 'only if it was safe for you'. He probably didn't come for you sooner because he needed to have the Masters trained to protect you before exposing you as the Green Ninja." I chuckled slightly. "God knows it took at least one of us a long while before he thought we were ready."

From down the hall, we heard Zane call everyone to gather for supper. I held her for another minute or so before grudgingly letting her sit up again. Arwyn still seemed a little stunned, but she hadn't cried any more.

"Thank you," she said softly, "for being here with me when I found that." She touched my right hand where it rested on my thigh, and I immediately turned my palm up, grasping her hand.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," I said truthfully before I could catch myself. Dragging my free hand through my hair uneasily, I sighed. "Come on. We need to get to the dining room. It's sort of a rule that we always meet for meals, and you need to eat something."

I stood and took her up with me, yearning to take her into my arms again, yet somehow quelling the impulse. She stopped long enough to grab a cardigan from a drawer to cover up her top, disappointing me, but probably trying to avoid Sensei's reproachful eye.

Once in the dining room, I watched as her step faltered when she saw our Master at the head of the table. Together we bowed in greeting to him before taking our seats on either side of him.

Everyone else had already served themselves, so I encouraged her to do the same as I chatted casually with Sensei Wu. Considering what I now knew, I wondered if there was more than one reason why our teacher insisted that I keep the Green Ninja at arm's length.

****Sensei Wu's POV**

When Cole and Arwyn entered the dining room, I knew at once that she was a bit disconcerted. Her aura was dark and disturbed, her affect tense. During the meal, she said very little to anyone, and yet, Cole, in contrast, chatted cheerfully and confidently throughout, as though he was trying to distract attention.

The only time he wavered was when Kai brought up his debacle during bo staff training with Arwyn, enjoying another laugh at his leader's expense. While I had not appreciated the technique Cole employed while trying to discourage her persistent recoiling, I felt reprimanding him would be redundant given the incident's outcome.

At the end of the meal, when I was about to take my leave, Arwyn stood as I did and asked suddenly, "Sensei, may I see you in your quarters?" I answered warmly, "Of course, child. You are always welcome to come to speak to me," delighted that she chose to share with me whatever was troubling her.

A short while later, as I knelt in my quarters, a soft knock came at my door. When she opened it at my bidding, Arwyn stood there in long pants and the cardigan, a multicolored book under her arm. Cole was beside her, leaning in closely and speaking quietly to her. She shook her head, and he nodded once, glancing at me before bowing, turning, and walking away.

I wondered briefly if I needed to have another conversation with my usually-obedient team leader over his tenacity in developing more than just a working relationship with our newest team member.

While Arwyn settled into seiza across from me, I poured out two cups of fragrant tea infused with chamomile, mint, and lemon. She placed the book front-cover-down on the tatami mat before her and sat silently, with perfect posture.

"You seem a bit distraught this evening," I began, handing her the small cup. She nodded, politely sipped from the vessel, then placed it on the mat beside her.

I lifted my cup to my lips and observed as she fidgeted a moment, looking down at the book, as though trying to bring herself to say something. I offered an opening. "What is troubling you, Arwyn?"

At that, she reached out and turned the book over and around to face me, saying, "I have something to show you." I could see her name on the cover. _Rie. 'Valued blessing', _I mused.

Opening it to the first page, I saw a cherubic face I now saw only in my dreams. A painful tug at my heart took me back to a night over twenty years ago. Somehow I kept my face expressionless and made no comment as I silently surveyed the photo a few moments, a sense of loss flooding over me. Finally I was able to turn to the next page.

When I was confronted with the sketch of my flower of tranquility, I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. I knew now why she was here. I slowly looked up at my patient pupil. She was watching me attentively with a penetrating, enquiring look.

"Was it you?" she asked simply. I would not deny the truth. I nodded, then bowed my head again to read her adoptive mother's account of that fateful night. The night I purposefully tore out what was left of my heart.

After reading the grateful wife's passage, I looked again at Arwyn whom I knew was brimming with questions. I held up my hand to stay her. "Let me begin at the beginning, then I will answer anything else you may desire to know." I closed my eyes, letting my mind drift back at least twenty-five years to an earlier period of my life.

Drawing a breath, I began. "Your mother's name was Mave` (mah vay). She was a beautiful, intelligent, foreign-born artist. You greatly resemble her and are very like her in many ways."

"Just before Garmadon was banished to the Underworld, he and I became acquainted with this enthralling woman, and she became our friend. After we had all known each other for some time, since I lacked the confidence to do so myself, I watched in agony as my brother wooed Mave` to him in the Underworld."

"She was with him for over a year, and I considered her lost to me forever, but Mave` had a difficult time handling the growing lust he had for power. Being a strong-willed woman, when he began to control every aspect of her life, she decided to flee from him, eluded the skeleton army, and managed to find me two days later."

"I was more than willing to offer her refuge, and within a couple of days we discovered that our feelings for one another went far beyond those of friendship. About a month later, Mave` discovered that she was with child. Because she had been with both Garmadon and me within the span of a few days, she was unable to guess which one of us had fathered the baby."

"Nevertheless, I was overjoyed, although concerned for her safety and that of the unborn child I considered to be mine. Were Garmadon to become aware of Mave`'s pregnancy, he would have stopped at nothing to have her brought back to him."

"As her condition became more obvious, Mave` and I traveled often to stay out of sight of the spying eyes of Garmadon's minions. A few weeks before the estimated time of the birth, we ended up in a cave near the village of Murisan, on the opposite side of the Mountains of Lost Hope from the Caves of Despair."

"Mave`'s labor began late one morning, and I hastily went into the village to collect the elderly midwife. As the sun's last rays filled the west-facing entry to the cave, a tiny girl entered Ninjago with an energetic cry. It was the sweetest note I have ever heard."

"We remained in the cave for another month before traveling to several small villages and towns in search of a more comfortable, safe haven. I knew at your birth what your future role would be, and I knew that Garmadon would be searching for us if he perceived the change in the force of Spinjitzu. Finally settling in the village of Kenshi, near the northern edge of the Forest of Tranquility, I taught for a living while Mave` cared for you."

"We were happy for a time. However, not long after you took your first steps, Mave` became very ill, and nothing I or the local doctors did could help her. When you were about one and a half years old, she passed away quietly as you slept in her arms."

"Although devastated, I knew I could not give up with a baby to raise and Ninjago to protect. After another few weeks of trying to decide how best to do that alone or if I should consider an alternative, you and I went to the nearby town of Miyagi one morning, and I overheard a conversation in the marketplace."

"Two acquaintances were catching up on their lives after being apart for a few years. A thirty-something farmer selling milk, eggs, and vegetables was being questioned by his friend about his wife and family. The farmer stated that his wife was well, but that, sadly, they had no children. The friend was surprised since they had been married for at least ten years."

"Seeing the young farmer's sadness led me to follow him most of the way home that morning, noting his farm's location in a wooded area outside of town. Going back into the town, I questioned several locals about the couple and heard nothing but praise. After spending one last afternoon playing with you and examining my decision, I made my way to the farmhouse after sunset."

"Summoning all of my courage, I forced myself to knock on the door and then spent over two hours with the hospitable farmer and his wife. You never left the woman's arms the entire time I was there until I took you from her to hold you one last time."

"Without looking back, I left you there that night before I lost my courage and resolve. I knew I had found the best parents possible to raise the child of the only woman I've ever loved. Although my heart had been destroyed, my soul was at peace."

I opened my eyes to find Arwyn staring at the tatami mat in front of her. When I paused in my story, she wiped a hand across her eyes and looked up at me. "Do you have any questions that I have not answered?" I asked her.

She nodded with a frown. "Why did you never come back?"

"Not long after I found a suitable home for you, I began to make plans for your future," I replied, refreshing my cup of tea. "I had hidden the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu many years before, but had no map of them. I was also the only person who knew their whereabouts. I decided that was not wise, in case something were to happen to me before you were grown. I drew up a map and brought it to my close friend, Kai's father, for him to hide."

"I also knew that, by that time, the future Masters of Spinjitzu had been born, so I set about locating them, or at least their general locations, so that I would know where to find them when they had grown. After that, I was regularly being pursued by Garmadon's minions, making it impossible for me to go to you without leading them there, also."

She seemed to be accepting all of this fairly well, but with her next question, her eyes flashed a little. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Were you going to tell me at all?"

I could understand her being upset. "You did not come here on a quest for your past. I thought it best not to distract you right away with more information than you were already being given. I would have told you when I felt the time was right."

"And either you or Garmadon could be my father?" she asked uncertainly.

"The only thing I can tell you with complete confidence is that you are the granddaughter of the First Master of Spinjitzu and the daughter of Mave`."

"Did you teach her spinjitzu? What kind of artist was she?" She seemed to be looking for something in common with her mother.

"She was not interested in learning any of that. She could not control the elements or do spinjitzu. Mave` was not special in that she had any certain powers. She was special to me. She loved nature and the arts. She kept her paints with her and worked on projects whenever she could. After she passed, and I gave you up, her art supplies and a few canvases were all I had of her. They were wrapped in your very first blanket." I smiled at that, remembering. But my smile rapidly faded. "Then the Serpentine burned my monastery and my only mementos of Mave`…and you."

Thinking about the last loss of Mave`'s I had suffered finally topped it off. I closed my eyes against the accumulated pain and felt a single tear squeeze its way past my lashes and splash onto my cheekbone. Before it could slide down any further, Arwyn was swiping it away with a finger.

I think I startled her with how swiftly I reached up and grasped her hand, pausing a second before bringing her fingers to my lips, hidden under my thick mustache. I held her fingers there for several moments before lowering my hand and releasing hers.

I opened my eyes and looked at her with a sad smile, saying, "But now every time I look at you, I am reminded of her. My heart has been healed since your return."

Arwyn answered that by leaning forward and wrapping her arms around my neck. "Thank you," she whispered, "for giving me the life you did, and for finally coming back for me." Easing away from me, she added, "And for more reasons than one, I'd prefer to think that _you_ are my father."

_Yes, my heart has been healed_.

**A/N: Please tell me if you liked this, and what you liked! Also, I'm still considering a small battle scene if I can muster it. Let me know what you think. I have one 'Yes' vote and 2 neutrals. Thanks for that! Happy Easter, everyone!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:Ninjago's not mine, only my OCs:( I am so blessed to have readers like you! Thank you all so much for the continued support! I know this is a shorter chapter, but I like to update fairly often, and the battle part is stressing me and slowing me down. (That and too many activities lately.) So here's at least something while I try to write more. (I can't crank it out quickly, since I am a little OCD and read, re-read, and rewrite several times before I put it out.) Please read and enjoy, and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEEEASSE REVIEW! :D**

**Chapter 18**

****Sensei's POV**

When Arwyn and I decided to end our talk for the night, it was growing late and past everyone's usual bedtime. So when she opened the door to leave my quarters, and I saw Cole enter the corridor from her bedroom to meet her, I was mildly surprised. And yet I should not have been.

I had tried to keep the ninja leader focused on her training by hindering his chances at time alone with her and attempting to discourage any growing feelings of affection that might prove distracting in battle. Mostly this was because I wanted her to be as strong and capable as possible.

Yet, another reason was that when I saw them together, with the way Arwyn so greatly resembled her mother, I saw Mave` and Garmadon, as he was wooing her to the Underworld and away from me. This caused more than a small amount of pain in my heart.

I must stress that I did not disapprove of the skilled ninja, on the contrary, I held him in very high regard. In fact, he was one of the best students, if not the _single_ best, that I had ever trained. However, the idea that the young man may be pursuing one whom I considered my daughter still did not sit well with me. Odd how I had that feeling even though I was _not_ the father who raised her.

Moreover, there was the matter of the vision I had had some time ago of a male child to be born of the Green Ninja and an elemental Spinjitzu master whose powers would eventually eclipse those of his mother. At this point, I was assuming the child's father would be the Master of Earth.

The child himself would certainly be a blessing and would absolutely _not_ be a problem, however, the unspecified timing of his birth could possibly be an obstacle to the execution of Arwyn's preordained struggle with the dark lord.

Nevertheless, even given all these reasons that I was reluctant to have her paired with anyone, I was also watching as Cole grew progressively more morose, distant, and agitated. Especially toward me.

I finally realized that denying someone his heart's desire would only lead to more distraction, frustration, and obsession with the object of desire. I decided that I needed to be more lenient, stop interfering, and allow this to run its course. If it was only a crush, an infatuation, it would soon burn itself out.

If not, then perhaps they could know the happiness shared by Mave` and me for so brief a period. I would simply have to wait and see, and hope that they always observed good judgment in their behavior.

If they even admitted their feelings to one another.

****Arwyn's POV**

As late as the hour was, Cole had met me at my door after my talk with Sensei Wu, offering an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, if necessary. I dared to think he was being more than a good friend and team leader. He even surprised me when he closed the door behind us, but maybe that was so as not to disturb anyone.

We sat on my bed as I told him everything, during which he remained quiet, saving his comments and questions for the end. He made sure I was properly consoled over the fact that my father, or uncle, had had to abandon me with strangers to keep me safe before he showed a sly grin and chuckled wickedly.

I looked at him askance, a little puzzled. "What?"

"Ah, I was just thinking of Sensei being full of hormones and getting busy…" I smacked him in the head and shoulder with my pillow, nearly knocking him from the bed. He just laughed at me, jerking the pillow from my hands as he did so.

"You're talking about my _**mother**_!" I growled with feigned offense, but I couldn't hide the small smile when I thought about her and Sensei being passionate and in love. Being human.

Tossing the pillow back at me, he gave me a mocking look. "Oh, don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing!"

Catching the pillow, I faked a shudder. "Actually, I'm trying _not_ to picture Wu _or _Garmadon 'doing it' with _anyone_!"

"Well, thanks for _that_ image!" he exclaimed with a silly look of revulsion. "Now I'll be up all night!"

"_You_ started it!" I retorted with amusement and shoved at his knee with my bare foot. "Go to your room, you perv!"

Cole playfully shoved me back, and I was settling against the headboard when he surprised me by hesitantly leaning in closer to me with an intense, smoky look in his eyes, losing the teasing smile. I swear my heart nearly stopped as I prayed he was about to do something I'd been dreaming about quite often.

I was an instant from grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him to me, but he foiled that when he frowned, withdrew, and slid quickly off of the bed. _Nnnooooooo!_

"You're right," he said with all seriousness, breathing deeply as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Time for bed." _Aaaagghhh!_

I stared after him, not wanting to believe this was happening once _again,_ as he walked to the door, then paused with his hand on the handle and turned back to me with a lewd grin. "I wonder how Wu kept his beard out of the way?"

The pillow flew again, and he caught it in the face. "Get _**out**__!_"

After he had slipped through the door and closed it silently behind him, I fell back on the bed, bringing my fists to my forehead, smiling, but frustrated. Just how long would this hot, brawny ninja make me wait?!

The next day, after Sensei had left the breakfast table, Cole and I delivered my news to the rest of the crew with mixed results. While Cole hadn't seem very surprised about my paternal heritage, which I had found curious, the others were.

"Wow. Your mother. With Sensei. _And_ Garmadon?" Jay made a face and grimaced. I didn't like his possible implication.

Nya didn't either. "Jay!" She wagged a finger at him. "We don't know what she may have been going through at the time."

He hastily tried to clear up his meaning. "Actually, I meant that being with Garmadon had to be _gross_! No offense, Lloyd," he tossed to the boy who shouldn't have even been hearing this part of the conversation.

"That's not very nice!" Lloyd objected loudly. "But, anyway, it means I have a sister! I'm happy with that!" And his acceptance made _me_ very happy!

"Not to disappoint you, Lloyd, but Arwyn is more likely to be Sensei's daughter, and therefore, your first cousin, since you and she are so very different physically," Zane informed him, adding the disclaimer, "However, only lab tests could determine this conclusively."

"Nah. You're my sister," Lloyd decided. God, I hoped not. I really didn't want Garmadon's blood in my veins. Especially since it might later be on my hands.

Kai was considering other views on the matter. "With two fathers to deal with, things are gonna be tough on whoever _you_ date!" he said my way with a snort. "I'm almost glad you turned me down. Now I don't have to live with Sensei on my back!"

At that remark, I noticed Nya turn to look toward Cole with a small frown at the same time that he lowered his head, causing his bangs to hide his eyes from me. _Wait, what?_

Jay's head jerked up, and he had a sudden 'light bulb!' moment as he stared at Cole wide-eyed, then swiveled to look at me. His face was comical, like he was dying to say something, but I gave him a cautioning look, and he quieted down.

Shortly afterward, I found myself on the main deck with Zane, trying to concentrate on learning to transform his shurikens into the Snowmobile, but not doing a very good job with the focusing or the converting. I could see Cole leaning against the quarterdeck railing above us as he talked with Sensei near the bridge, and my mind would not be quiet.

Without talking to him, I had figured out what Jay had suddenly realized after Kai's remark this morning. There was one possible reason for Cole's reserved silence if he felt anything for me. Sensei Wu, who had known all along who and what I was, could be acting like a protective father and putting pressure on the swarthy ninja, deterring him from starting anything with me.

My only hope was that the elemental master of terra firma would rebel and crack like clay before I did. If he had a reason to want to do so.

It was apparent over the next few days that my new-found family history wasn't going to get me preferential treatment on the _Bounty_, even though I also wasn't expecting it.

The only thing that changed was that Sensei and I had even more to talk about during our daily chats, although I couldn't bring myself to ask him about Cole, and I better understood his probing into my childhood. He also didn't oppose my calling him 'Chichi' (father) when we were alone, although I wasn't going to try it just yet around everyone else.

Training with the guys definitely didn't change. They went on trying to beat me up every day like they'd been doing from the beginning, but, again, day-by-day, I was getting better at eluding them and landing a few myself.

I also still had no more say in anything regarding my autonomy than I had had before, which continually gnawed on my last nerve. A case in point occurred a few days after my discovery.

A shrieking in the corridor jolted me from sleep in the middle of the night, sending me bolt-upright in bed, my heart thudding in my chest like I had just run sprints. After a few seconds, I realized it wasn't human, it was an alarm, and I could hear soft footsteps running past my door.

As I anxiously leapt from the bed and made for the entry, it was flung open, and light from the passageway spilled in, causing me to squint. Cole stood silhouetted in the doorway, already in full, armored uniform, his helmet in his hand. I was filled with relief…and admiration. He looked _so hot_…

"Arwyn…," he paused a split second as he looked me up and down, then charged ahead. "We've got a call for assistance from Ninjago City! Come with me to the bridge while we get a summary." He stepped back into the corridor, then added, "And grab your robe."

I ran my fingers through my hair as I hurriedly followed him up to the bridge where the rest of the team was already gathered. Jay was communicating with the city law enforcement and taking notes on locations while Kai and Zane listened intently.

"How close are the Serpentine to Sofiya, at Arwyn's old apartment?" Zane was asking with concern. _Serpentine?_ _Holy…!_ I hadn't had to deal with them yet, although I had been told all I _thought _there was to know.

"About ten blocks," Jay informed him, pointing out the two locations on the map. Cole surveyed the street map, then took over with the city authorities from Jay, trying to get a few more details about the ruckus.

Kai put a hand on the ice ninja's shoulder and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Zane. They're pretty far from her, and we'll check on her when we're done, okay?" The ninja in white just nodded gravely.

Lloyd, dressed in his pajamas, came in a moment later, dragging the case which housed the weapons of Spinjitzu, letting it fall on its side with a thump on the floor. Sensei and Nya were the only two missing from our gathering, since they had left the day before for a trip to a village a day or so away to retrieve several special teas and incense needed by Sensei.

As I watched the procedure followed by the group, I mused that in the three and a half weeks I had been on the _Bounty_, all had been quiet, the alarm had never sounded, and the team had never left on a mission. All of their time and energy had been devoted to starting my training as quickly as possible.

Now I would have the opportunity to put some of that training into practice. Ready or not. The anxiety and sudden rush of adrenaline made me queasy and shook me awake even more.

Cole was still getting information from Ninjago City, and Zane, Jay, and Kai were retrieving their weapons from the case when I realized I couldn't go anywhere in my night clothes and started to rush out of the bridge. Kai noticed and stopped me with a frown and a hand on my arm. "Where're you going?"

I gave a quick, nervous laugh. "I don't think I'm dressed appropriately for a battle with the…"

"You're _not_ coming!" he declared, cutting me off abruptly and giving my arm a shake before walking over to Cole. I looked after him in confusion. _Excuse me?_

Kai bumped Cole's shoulder with his fist to get his attention as the team leader was finishing up with the communication. "Hey, Arwyn thinks she's coming with us. Tell her she's staying!"

Cole set the microphone on the counter and looked at me like I was crazy. "What? No, Arwyn, you can't come! I wanted you to be in here just to check out the procedure. We're going into Ninjago City to take care of a Serpentine attack near downtown, but you're staying here with Lloyd."

I planted my feet apart with a hand on my hip. "Why not? I'm part of the team! I can help. I'm pretty good with my Spinjitzu, and I'm getting control of my elements fairly well. I could at least see what you do…"

Cole swiped his open hand out and to the side in a gesture of dismissal as he bent and collected his scythe. "You're way too important to endanger right now. It's not safe, and you're not trained _nearly_ well enough yet." Kai stood behind him, grim-faced and nodding, with his thumbs hooked into his belt.

This was too familiar. "But, I…" I glanced at Jay for some help but he looked away and down at his boots.

"Besides, do you want him to be here alone?" He played the helpless-child card, gesturing to Lloyd who stood by with a smirk, probably glad he wasn't going to be the only one missing out on the action.

As if! "No, but, I need the experience…" Even Zane, with his arms crossed over his chest, was offering me no support, keeping his attention elsewhere, though I could tell he was checking us out through his peripheral vision.

"You're _staying_," he said firmly, striding up to me with his eyes narrowed and his scythe in hand, looking pretty menacing.

Extending my hands with my palms up, I tried in vain to plead my case. "But, that's not right, I…"

Approaching to within a foot of me, making me want to take a step back, Cole forced me to look up at him as he loomed over me, saying sternly and a little loudly, "**I **_**said**_** you are **_**not**_** coming!** You'll obey my orders, stay with Lloyd where it's safe, and hold down the fort!"

I held my ground, barely flinching, and glared at him, thinking, _Really, was that tone of voice necessary?_

Feeling he'd intimidated me enough, he relaxed, his expression softening, and briefly gripped my arm, seeming to want to do more. "I'll call when I can to check on you," he said just before he donned his hooded helmet and pulled up his mask, not giving me time to respond.

Heading out of the bridge, he called, "Let's go, guys!", and, with that, Lloyd and I watched as the four Masters broke into a run straight for the railing, somersaulting over it and out of sight.

**A/N: Please review, tell me what you've been liking, and have a great one! I hope to update again before the week's up!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I WISH I owned Ninjago! Time to put out another chappie to buy myself time for the rest! (This is _tougher_ than I expected!) But you all give me strength and encouragement! Thank you more than you know for the super reviews! I couldn't make it without them!(REALLY! Please continue to support the cause and read and review!) To Guest, thanks for the cake! Arwyn gets it all, this time, unless Cole _begs_ for it! And Live2Love, I'm so happy for you that you got to see your dad! Family means so much!  
**

**WARNING: Some violence up ahead, if that bothers you, including some against an innocent main character. (Sorry...)**

**Chapter 19**

****Arwyn's POV**

We stood on the quarterdeck in silence as they crossed the desert, watching the lights on their vehicles slowly fade, with Kai's flames being the last visible. Ninjago City, about fifteen miles away, glowed against the night sky in the distance.

After a couple of brooding minutes, I sighed resignedly and looked at the blonde boy next to me. "Well, what now?" He shrugged. "No way we can sleep," I figured. "Maybe we could occupy ourselves with a game of football or something while we wait and listen for Cole to call?"

Lloyd looked doubtfully up at me. "I don't know how to play football."

"Eh, neither do I. We'll make up our own rules," I answered before I ran to change into my evergreen, since I hadn't gotten the hang of spinning into my uniform yet.

We lit several torches set up on the railing, and rolled up and taped a towel to be our ball, then basically played keep-away on the main deck to occupy our minds. Everything was fine for about forty-five minutes until a new alarm sounded from the bridge.

I knew right away it wasn't Cole. "That's the radar!" Lloyd confirmed as we ran up to the bridge.

"But Cole hasn't called yet," I said uncertainly. "Could they already be on the way back?"

Lloyd scanned the radar and paled immediately. "Those are Serpentine! Coming from Ninjago City!"

I quickly measured the distance seeing that they were about ten miles away and definitely headed toward us. _WTF?_ I grabbed the microphone and punched in Cole's code as fast as my trembling fingers would allow.

It took two forevers for him to answer, during which time I could feel my heart hammering in my chest so hard I swore Lloyd could hear it. Cole's husky voice finally came over the speaker, along with sirens and the sounds of battle. "Arwyn?" he shouted over the noise, sounding a bit irritable. "I'm kinda _busy_ right now!"

I was trying too hard to hold it together to get offended by that. "Yeah? Well, we're about to get busy, too! Are you maybe missing a few players in your little game over there? 'Cause they're heading our way from the city and will probably be here in about eight minutes!"

"WHAT THE FRICK?!" he yelled, then paused. "This was a diversion! They're after the Fangblades!" _The what now?_ "Pull up the anchor, and get the ship moving toward the city! Don't come directly this way, make it a little northwest. It might throw them off a minute, and I'll meet you halfway as quickly as I can!" he ordered, then hastily added, "Arwyn, if they board, you and Lloyd _hide_, don't try to fight them!"

"Where the hell can we hide?!" I asked incredulously. "The ship's not that big…"

"**JUST HIDE, AND STAY SAFE!"** he shouted desperately as I heard the sound of the Tread Assault materializing before the communication was cut off.

Lloyd had already pulled up the anchor and was starting the engines. "What are the Fangblades?" I asked in confusion.

Amazed, he looked at me. "They didn't tell you about the Fangblades?!" My blank look answered him. "Oh, are you _kidding_ me?! They're only these things that the Serpentine want so they can drag up this _huge_ snake that'll eat _all_ of Ninjago!" he threw his arms up over his head for emphasis.

"We got them right before Uncle found you and were supposed to destroy them at Torchfire Mountain, but supposedly that can only be done at certain times of the year, and we passed up the chance waiting for you to come on the ship! Now it can't be done for a few more weeks or months or whenever!"

Lloyd was starting to freak out a little, and it was about to freak me out. Plus I now had guilt over possibly being at least part of the cause of this whole Serpentine thing right now. If I had only made my decision the first night…

But I had to stick to the important stuff. "Okay, so where are they now?" I asked, my mind racing over possible things that needed to be done.

"In Uncle's quarters in a hidden compartment," he answered more calmly. Okay, so they didn't need to be hidden, anyway. I checked out our progress and the radar.

"Can we go any faster?" I inquired hopefully, noting the proximity of the Serpentine blips.

Lloyd sighed. "No. The port-side booster's shot, and the part is on backorder, so Jay can't get them for about another two weeks. That's why we're still hanging around the city." Of course. And why did this ten-year-old know more than I did about what was going on around here?

"Fine. Stay here and keep her heading northwest like Cole said," I instructed him as I hurried out of the bridge. "I'll be right back!"

Five minutes later I was running back in, having donned my armor and armed myself to the teeth, for all the good it might do us. Two katanas were now in my back scabbard, numerous shurikens were tucked in my utility belt, my tanto blade was strapped to my right lower leg, and I had grabbed a scythe for good measure.

From the bridge, we could see lights from four vehicles approaching the prow of the ship off our starboard side, and the sounds of engines were heard over the _Bounty's_. _OMG. Don't panic, girl. You've been in emergency situations before as a nurse…Of course those were __**other**__ people's emergencies… _

Lloyd's eyes widened, and his voice quavered a tad as he asked, "What are we gonna do? They'll be on us in a couple of minutes!"

I wanted to say, 'Hell if I know! What do I look like, the freakin' leader?', but I tried to stayed composed. "Steer a little more to port and hold it for a few seconds, then cut sharply to starboard, then go back. Basically zigzag for a while to keep them off of us. If that doesn't help and they board us, don't leave the bridge unless it's to hide!"

I pulled my left katana from its scabbard and placed it on the counter near him. "If they make it to you, and I can't, do what you can with your elements or use the katana like Cole showed you."

I stopped and swallowed hard. This was getting too real. I was instructing a prepubescent boy in how to fend off a dangerous enemy. What was wrong with this picture? I knelt in front of him and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. He automatically returned it, nearly choking me.

"Everything's gonna be okay, right?" Lloyd asked hopefully against my hood.

"Of course," I answered, sounding hollow. "Cole will get here in time to help us." Why did I feel like I had just lied to this kid?

My eyes stung as I released him and stood, turning quickly toward the door and pulling up my mask. Behind me, Lloyd spoke hesitantly. "Aren't you gonna hide, too, like Cole said?"

"They're not getting on our ship _that_ easily." I sounded braver than I felt.

As I reached the steps down to the main deck, the ship lurched to port, making me stumble as Lloyd began our zigzagging path. The Serpentine lights moved somewhat behind us with that change of course.

The snake-like route continued as I stood at the starboard railing of the main deck and watched our pursuers still manage to slowly gain on us. The glow from Ninjago City was getting steadily closer, but I was not yet able to see other lights indicating our salvation was at hand.

Before long, a large Serpentine vehicle was pulling alongside the _Bounty_ just beneath me, the three others close behind it. I gripped the railing tightly. _So it begins…_

****Cole's POV**

_Ohmigodohmigodohmigod! How did I let this happen? How did I not think they would make for the Fangblades? And I left Arwyn and Lloyd alone! I had told her I wasn't letting her out of my sight again, and I did! What was I thinking?! If anything happens to her… _

I'd never been on the verge of losing it in my life, but I was getting pretty close to that as I impatiently maneuvered my Tread Assault through the crowd of battling Serpentine and Ninjago City police.

The skirmish close to downtown included about eighty mixed Serpentine troops led by Acidicus, who disappeared not long after we arrived. Come to think of it, the crowd had gotten smaller, then, too.

The snakes' fighting was not very enthusiastic or deadly, it was more of an annoying game of hide-and-seek with few casualties, which should have made me suspicious right away. But I had just thought the platoon was being lazy once the general fled.

Now I felt like an idiot for not considering all possible reasons for this stupid brawl. _How did I manage to forget about the Fangblades?_ With shame, I answered my own question with a single word. _Arwyn. _And now she and Lloyd were in danger because I had dropped the ball.

I postponed berating myself long enough to contact the rest of the team. "Guys! I'm on my way back to the _Bounty_ to intercept a bunch of Serpentine who left the party early! Things are almost under control here, so I want two of you to stay with the police a little longer, and one come with me. Zane, I know you want to see about Sofiya, so you and Jay stay. Kai…"

"Already on your tail, Crusher. Lead the way," he interrupted me somberly over the comlink. Checking my rear-view dash monitor, I saw the flames of his Blade Cycle scattering the crowd even wider than the big wheels of my Tread Assault. _Maybe I should put him in front of me_…

"I'm guessing Arwyn called. How far are they from the ship?" His voice sounded exceptionally calm.

I grimaced as we cleared the crowd, got on the street, and sped up. "Probably no more than five minutes."

"And we're close to twenty minutes away," he commented unnecessarily, making me grit my teeth even more.

"Actually, we should be closer," I corrected him, feeling a bit calmer now myself as we sped south along the nearly empty streets toward the Sea of Sand. "We need to check our coordinates. I have them moving the ship this way to shorten our trip."

"Gotcha…I can barely wait to get there," he said icily. _You and me both, brother!_ I had wanted the most aggressive warrior with me, and he was quickly rising to the occasion.

"Race you there!" he challenged as he pulled around me and accelerated when we reached the second to the last block on the city edge.

"You're on!"

Driving like a bat out of hell, pushing the Tread Assault faster than I thought it could go, I continued to berate myself for not leaving someone else on the _Bounty _as Kai and I stayed even with each other_. _But I also considered other things.

_She's not trained well enough, she's going to be killed! She and Lloyd. Arwyn. If anything happens to her…what am I going to do? I don't even care that she's the Green Ninja any more. I just can't lose her. If we make it through this, can I admit to her that I …I love her? Do I have the nerve? I can't continue to live like this, without her knowing. Whether she cares about me or not. Whether Sensei likes it or not. _

The miles seemed to crawl by, but I could finally see lights where my radar said they should be a little to the southwest. The ship was stationary on the map, indicating to me that she had been boarded. _Oh, God_…I prayed we weren't too late.

As we got closer, it suddenly occurred to me that Kai and I were going to have a problem getting onto the ship with the anchor up and the crew occupied. He must have thought the same since he dropped slightly behind me. _How the hell are we gonna do this?_

I spied a large sand dune on the starboard side near where three damned Serpentine vehicles had dug in and headed for it at max speed, hoping I could clear the railing and not smack the side of the ship with the little number I was about to attempt. Traveling toward it, I called out to Kai, "Follow me!"

At the same time that my front tires hit the bottom of the natural ramp, I used all the elemental energy I could spare from maintaining the Spinjitzu vehicle to build the dune higher and pack it harder simultaneously. I was pleasantly shocked when I realized it had actually worked, and I was clearing the railing with Kai's flames following close behind me a second later.

****Arwyn's POV**

I had made an effort to use the green concussive energy to blast the bizarre Serpentine vehicles, but it hadn't worked very well. Harnessing the power was still difficult for me, and it consumed a lot of my energy, so after a couple of tries that barely slowed them, I had to abandon that before I exhausted myself.

My control of the elements was still somewhat limited, also, so that was almost useless against their vehicles, although the sand dunes I managed to pull up in their way did create a couple of amusing moments.

After that, the first thing the rotten bastards did was throw grappling hooks over the railing, slowing the ship with their vehicles until our engines stalled. While they prepared to board, I had a go at the metal cables with my scythe, and although I hacked through the first one, the scythe blade was too screwed up to try on another.

Using the strength of my earth element, I was able to pull another hook off of the railing, but the stupid reptiles just replaced it. In the middle of that, I heard a cry from Lloyd from the bridge window.

Wheeling toward him, I saw he was pointing to port, and I continued my circle, coming nearly face to face with a large, green snake with a long, slithering tail holding a golden staff. _Acidicus!_ I recognized the creepy general from photos during instructions with Nya and could only stare in horror for a moment.

Behind him was a mixed group of five two-legged Serpentine soldiers. They had boarded the _Bounty_ from portside while I was busy on the starboard railing.

Acidicus seemed a little surprised to see me. "_Another_ ninja? I thought you said they were all accounted for in Ninjago City?!" he exclaimed angrily to the nearest Venomari warrior up his rear. Wherever that was.

The subordinate stooped a touch and whined, "They were, General, but this one is different! He's smaller and wears our green!" _That_ was not my choice!

"Never mind," hissed the leader of the Venomari. "Just get rid of this filth, and search this place for the Fangblades!" His demeaning look left me and swept over the darkened deck. "I want this ship taken as well! And when you get to Garmadon's brat, don't damage him much. We will ransom him to his father!"

_The hell you will_, I thought fiercely, my fear having fled during my exertion with the grappling hooks. Reaching forward, I leveled a thin stream of ice at the feet of the five warriors, securing them to the deck for the time being. Acidicus slithered around behind them, screaming for them to free themselves and kill the ninja before they began to chip at the frozen stuff with their weapons.

Behind me, I heard the thuds of more Serpentine jumping from the starboard railing and landing on the deck and turned to face them, icing the first four to the deck like Acidicus' bunch since it worked the first time. More were coming, though, and I realized I was really gonna need help soon.

A knife glanced off of my shoulder armor, making me flinch hard, and landing harmlessly on the deck at the feet of another boarding snake. That's when I understood that they actually meant it when the general said 'kill', and that it was something _**I **_might be forced to do. Maybe I _should_ have listened to Cole and hidden!

I figured I'd be safer as a moving target and spun into a wobbly, green Spinjitzu tornado, skidding toward the prow, hoping to draw attention to myself and away from Lloyd in the bridge. It worked for a few of the scaly freaks who followed me that way and found themselves with faces full of fire when I screeched to a dizzy halt and put my anger to good use.

The rage inside me at having these disgusting snakes on board the ship we called 'home' blazed up and burst forth so quickly and easily that I was able to debilitate three of our foes, so I considered it a success.

But I wasn't able to handle all of the Serpentine who boarded. There were at least twenty in all and while several had headed below deck to begin the search, several others were roaming around the main deck, some checking nooks and crannies, others eyeing me or aiming for Lloyd.

Leaving the last three writhing, I spotted three well-armed Serpentine, two Fangpyres and a Hypnobrai heading directly for me. Jerking two shurikens from my belt, I imagined my training sessions with Zane and sent the six-pointed stars into the faces of two of the snakes. They screamed in pain and anger, and the third reached for me as I pivoted past them to run aft.

"Arwwyynnn!" I looked up at the sound of another scream, and saw Lloyd being roughly hauled from the bridge, struggling under the arm of a two-legged Constrictai, but gripping the katana. A light flashed briefly around them, making me smile a bit. Lightning.

The Serpentine shrieked loudly, dropping the boy. Kicking Lloyd as he tried to stand caused him to drop the katana and fall to the quarterdeck again before the black-and-orange snake gripped him around the waist and started down the stairs. _Oh, no, you don't…_

Running for Lloyd and his Constrictai captor as they reached the main deck, I prepared to do something I'd never done before in my life and tried not to think about it.

About three yards from my target, I pulled my tanto blade from its sheath on my lower leg and leapt toward the hissing serpent as he produced a wicked-looking dagger and placed the tip against Lloyd's cheek.

With a death grip on the tanto's hilt, I brought the eight-inch, downward-pointing blade up, then down again with all my strength. Slamming against him, I buried the knife to the hilt just above the temple of the shiny, scaled head, yelling with the effort.

The three of us fell hard to the deck, and Lloyd rolled away from me toward the railing. I stood swiftly and yanked my tanto from the Constrictai's head, meeting little resistance, the lifeless body providing enough counterweight to allow the blade to pull free as it rasped audibly against the bone of the cranium.

I didn't have time to think about it, but I had the brief realization that this was my first kill.

"Lloyd! Are you okay?" He was just getting to his feet several feet from me when a nearby Hypnobrai, armed with a flail, spotted him and moved toward his prey.

I heard the roar of an engine and felt a hot, solid pressure travel from the back of my head, into my chest. My heart leapt. _Please let that be Cole and Kai,_ I prayed, but Lloyd's danger demanded my focus, and I lunged in his direction as the engine noise ceased.

Lightning tingled along my left arm and sparked bright and blue out of my hand as I threw myself toward the snake. He backhanded Garmadon's child across the face before I could get to him, sending Lloyd backward to the deck once again as a wave of fury crashed over me.

Reaching the Hypnobrai, I grabbed his arm with my flickering left hand as he finished his swing and plunged the tanto between his ribs just below the axilla with my right, just for good measure.

The reptile convulsed and fell as the electricity coursed through him, lighting up our corner of the deck, and his dark blood poured out through the stab wound when I withdrew the blade.

Hearing a feral battle cry reverberate near the prow, I whirled in that direction to see Cole running toward me, drawing back his scythe with one hand, coming up quickly on two Fangpyres who were also traveling my way. Kai was arcing through the air behind him, landing gracefully on his feet, gripping his Sword of Fire.

The freakin' marines had finally landed.

**A/N: How is Cole going to handle all this? Gotta a feeling... PLEASE REVIEW! It's like bread to a starving man! A great weekend to all!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: If _I_ owned Ninjago, Cole would be king, and all would bow before him! Bwahahaha...ooh, sorry. **

** OMG, this was SUPER TOUGH to write! I am exhausted! Thanks for the excellent reviews for the previous chapter! I hope and pray this one is as well thought of by all of you excellent readers! Please let me know if it passes muster! On with the show! (Entirely in Cole's POV and filled with his angst!)  
**

**WARNING: Gratuitous violence against snakes! Bwahahaha! (Sorry if that bothers you...)**

**Chapter 20**

****Cole's POV**

Transforming my vehicle back to the scythe as soon as I cleared the railing enabled me to glance around briefly as I fell toward the dark deck. It was dimly lit with the railing torches and several lanterns held by the marauding Serpentine who were scattered around.

There were too many green figures to find Arwyn right away, but, as I landed on my feet, a large, bright flash of blue electricity to my left from the port-side stern area of the main deck gave me hope that she was still alive. Several Serpentine were congregating in that area, and two more were headed over there, so I did, too.

I had told myself that I would treat this battle like any other in which my teammates were in peril. I would keep it together and lead everyone safely to victory as usual. But having Arwyn in jeopardy upped the ante and changed the game for me. And not because of her prophesied destiny.

A savage-sounding roar unexpectedly escaped my throat as I sprinted in her direction, drawing back my scythe as I followed two Fangpyres aiming for the group in the stern. Swinging with one arm, I cut them down effortlessly in a single stroke.

For invading our home and endangering those dear to me, I would grant the vipers no quarter tonight.

Two more running steps and I came to a sudden halt, nearly nose-to-nose with a frickin' Hypnobrai handling a scimitar. "Look at me, worthless ninja!" he arrogantly hissed, expecting to repeat an incident I'd had with Scales, no doubt.

Sneering, I yelled, "Do your worst!" and, as he had requested, I looked him straight in the eyes when I punched him in the chest, collapsing his sternum and stopping my fist just short of his spine. His limp body fell to the deck as I stepped around him and continued toward the stern.

Another snake obstacle popped up in my path, this time a pair of Venomari, one carrying a mace, the other a spear. _I don't have time for this!_ A spinning back kick shattered the skull of the spear-wielder and sent him crashing into the mast.

The first swing of the other serpent's mace whistled past my ear and snagged my hood as I recentered my stance, but I parried his second attempt with the snath of my scythe. Using it like a bo, I spun the scythe in front of me, disarming him easily, then performed a crushing head strike, sending the Serpentine ricocheting off of the mast to rest beside his comrade.

Barely breathing faster than normal, I paused long enough to check back on Kai and found him running toward me from the prow, leaving four motionless bodies on the deck behind him. I was one up on him. "Try to keep up, Kai!" I yelled as I turned back to find Arwyn.

He laughed loudly as he caught up to me, looking around. "Damn, Cole! We're gonna be working for _days_ to clean this deck!"

A flash of green light shone suddenly against the quarterdeck wall between the deck stairways, and four of the Serpentine gathered there were thrown back several feet toward the fire ninja and me, dazed, but otherwise unhurt. "Arwyn!" I breathed. Several more were still surrounding her.

Backed against the wall, her eyes were narrowed above her mask, and she was probably trying to look fierce as she stood in a defensive stance, brandishing a katana, her free hand extended in front of her.

But it was obvious to me she was tiring. The green blast had not been nearly as strong as some I had seen her produce recently, and the katana shook a bit as she held it horizontally over her head.

Lloyd was shoved protectively behind her, and I saw what looked like blood smeared from his mouth and across his jaw. That and the sight of a large, dark stain on Arwyn's jacket from her chest down to the lower hem caused my stomach to lurch. _Please, don't let that be her blood…_

I caught her gaze with my own. "Are you hurt?" I called out, a little too much worry in my tone. She shook her head quickly, relieving me at once. I felt like I was failing the 'calm and collected' thing. Maybe Sensei was right.

"What's your boot size, Cole?" Kai asked loudly. "I think we have enough snakes here to make several new pairs for both of us! We could maybe even have a new set of luggage!" His taunting shout gave the scaly group reason to pause, and they looked back at us malevolently. Trust Kai to bring the battle to the enemy.

He and I were about fifteen feet from Arwyn and Lloyd, while eight Serpentine warriors surrounded them. _Eight snakes between us and them. We can take 'em_. I surveyed the cluster with a fierce eye. "You heard him right! We're here to kick some snake ass, so back off the kids, and come get some _real_ ninja!" I goaded.

A hateful laugh rang out brashly from the port railing and caught my attention. Acidicus was coiled there, glowering at us. "You are in no position to be giving orders, ninja!" He gave me no time to retort as he pointed his staff and addressed his troops, bellowing, "End this now! Seize the boy and the green one at once!"

Kai and I got down into battle stances as four Serpentine moved in after Arwyn and Lloyd, while the four others rushed us. Swinging my scythe, I proceeded to cut through one and saw Lloyd being pulled from his haven, grasping for Arwyn's sleeve.

Arwyn reached in vain for the boy, calling his name anxiously as a Venomari soldier tackled her from behind, knocking the katana from her hand. She struggled briefly in his grasp, before electricity began to spark from her fingertips.

The Venomari yelped, but didn't lose his grip on her, and a pair of snakes stepped up to cover her, pointing spears at her chest, putting a stop to her light show.

Kai had ducked under and flipped his first opponent to the deck, finishing him off with a stab from his sword, then, after being punched, side-kicked the other in the chest just as I was furiously throttling my second reptile with the scythe, breaking his neck.

"Cease now if you wish these two to live!" Acidicus' infuriated bawling brought our awareness back to the captives as Kai finished off his unworthy adversary. The general slinked in a little closer to the group while I reassessed the situation.

Although I would normally have chastised Kai for acting like this, I was ready to just rush in and kill the remaining four Serpentine peons. However, they held the advantage at the moment.

One Fangpyre restrained a frightened Lloyd, holding a serrated blade to his throat. Although I knew they likely intended to ransom him to Garmadon and wouldn't actually hurt him, the thought of that possibility stayed my hand.

The other reason I held myself back was the woman being detained at spear-point by two snakes while a third clutched her arms behind her back securely. Arwyn stood in his grasp, her chest rising and falling quickly, defiantly holding her chin up with her uneasy eyes glued to me.

Her attitude reminded me of the first time we had met, which at this point seemed so far away and long ago, when it was really only a month earlier. It pained me when I thought of how safely she had lived then, only to now be subjected to this. And it was my fault.

Behind my mask, I bit my lip hard, then opened my mouth to speak, but Acidicus beat me to it, hissing smugly, "You may have decimated my troops, ninja, but it seems I now have the upper hand."

I narrowed my eyes at him warningly. I knew where he was headed with this. "That's just a false sense of security, Acidicus," I bit back.

Something like a chuckle sounded from the reptilian general. "Believe what you will. But I must say, I was quite surprised to find a new ninja on board. And, moreover, one who seems to have the combined powers of the original four," he said thoughtfully. With a hand on his chin, he looked toward Arwyn. "I believe he is someone we could use to our advantage."

_Like hell you will!_ I must have made a move, because I briefly felt Kai's hand on my arm and forced myself to breathe deeply.

Acidicus looked around at the Fangpyre, Constrictai, and two Venomari left to his command. "Unfortunately, we have no Hypnobrai at the moment to insure his compliance. No matter. We will be leaving soon with him and the boy and will take care of that later."

"I'll have to be dead, first!" I growled hotly without thinking. Glancing at Arwyn, I saw her look was now more than a little worried.

Acidicus ignored me and slithered around to face Arwyn and her captor. "First, let us see what kind of boy they have trained here!" He nodded to the other snake.

"No!" I protested immediately, with Kai echoing me. A ninja's identity was sometimes his most valuable possession. In Arwyn's case, it made her more vulnerable. We were prevented from doing more by the two spear-wielders who eyed us threateningly and pushed the tips of their weapons closer to her.

Arwyn's Serpentine guard wasted no time in reaching up and pulling off her hooded helmet and mask, allowing her dark, unbound curls to cascade down to her shoulders. Although livid with the Serpentine and concerned for her safety, I still sighed inwardly at the sight. _Cole, really? Like this is the time…_

The general was not as enchanted. "A-a _female_?!" Acidicus sputtered in disgust. He turned to me in fury and gestured vigorously toward Arwyn. "_This_ is the best you could do for a new ninja? _This _is the nuisance we've dealt with this night?"

She glared at him irately and snapped back, "So sorry to disappoint you, _freak,_ but I think I was a little more than a 'nuisance'!" The green reptile holding her tightened his grip and shook her roughly, making Kai and me both take an involuntary step forward. I caught myself first and put out a hand to stop him.

Dismissing Arwyn for the moment, Acidicus confronted me from his safe distance, raising himself a bit taller as he demanded, "I want the Fangblades as well. Where are they, ninja?!"

_They haven't found them! _A feeling of relief came over me even as I realized I had nothing to use to negotiate Arwyn and Lloyd's release. I could not endanger Ninjago.

My throat tightened, and I avoided looking at Arwyn, tensing my jaw and hardening my gaze like flint on the repulsive general. Hating myself, I based my next remark on the thought of the greater good as I lowered my voice and snarled, "You're not getting the Fangblades, Acidicus."

I heard Kai shift his stance at my side, probably thinking I was the worst leader ever for not trying to obtain Arwyn and Lloyd's release at all costs. I felt like vomiting. All I could do was threaten. "In fact, you'll be leaving empty-handed. If you leave alive."

Acidicus snorted and leered. "We shall see if the female wishes to be more cooperative, then." I stiffened as he made the slightest motion to the snake holding Arwyn.

Without delay, the Venomari grabbed her by the hair at her crown, viciously pulling her head back and turning her face toward him in one swift and fluid motion as he leaned forward and forcefully spat his venom directly into her eyes.

She cried out loudly in pain, jerking her gloved hands free and covering her face. Before I could react, Kai shouted to my left, "Frick! Arwyn! Down!" At his command, she immediately doubled over as he threw the flaming Sword of Fire like a spear. It flashed over her head, impaling the viper's skull to the wooden wall behind him, cauterizing as it went so that not a drop of blood was spilled.

In the moment of chaos that followed, I noticed the brief sound of an engine as Kai and I leapt forward and promptly dispatched the two spear-wielders with a kunai and a swing of the scythe respectively. The general's cowardly tail slipped over the railing.

Jumping over the fallen Serpentine bodies, I dropped my weapon, jerked off my helmet and mask, and fell anxiously to my knees in front of Arwyn, who knelt with her head bowed and her hands to her face. She was coughing and gasping while she wiped her eyes and face repeatedly with her sleeves.

"Arwyn! Arwyn!" I grabbed her forearms to slow the rubbing, inquiring frantically, "Are you alright? What's going on?" She shook her head, saying between coughs, "It…burns…. really hurts!" Something was wrong. This didn't sound like Kai's experience.

I lifted my head at the sound of more voices and found that Lloyd's captor had become a pillar of ice with a golden shuriken protruding from his face. Kai was helping the blonde boy squirm from under the frozen arm while Zane was extricating his weapon.

Lifting Arwyn to her feet, I could hear Jay laughing as he leaned over the port-side railing. "What the hell's so funny?" Kai demanded crossly. "Arwyn got spit on, and that damned Acidicus just got away!"

Looking awfully proud of himself, Jay walked over to us. "He got off the _Bounty_, but before we boarded, I pulled the plugs out of all of their engines while Zane took care of the three snakes left down there. He's not going far!" Saluting me, he added, "By the way, convenient sand dune, Cole."

I nodded and turned back to Arwyn, prying her hands from her lowered face. "Let me see! Open your eyes, Arwyn." Tears were streaming down her face but she wasn't sobbing. Instead, she was agitated and cursing.

"I HATE those *_cough_* fricking snakes! I can't believe I *_cough_* let him do that! Crap, it burns!" Her eyes were tearing, red, and swollen. "I can barely open my eyes! And I *_cough_* can't see a damn thing when I do!"

_Holy…_ I was about to stomp on the panic button when Zane stepped up to us, saying evenly, "Arwyn, allow me to cool your eyes with my hands for a moment." She forced herself to stand still and let him cover her eyes as he stood behind her.

Jay and Kai were standing nearby, observing us with arms crossed. "At least while she's blinded she won't have to deal with the freaky hallucinations," commented Kai sympathetically. "Just hope it's only temporary…"

"Yeah." The human sparkler was looking around at the littered and bloodied deck. "By the way, who's gonna clean up this mess?"

His flame-throwing brother cast an annoyed glance his way. "There's a mop in the hall closet. You're welcome to it."

They needed direction. Moving away from Arwyn and Zane, I began to instruct Kai and Jay to secure Acidicus while the ice ninja and I took care of the injured. "…And take him to the Ninjago City police when you get him," I advised, adding fervidly, "Don't bring him back here, or I'll kill him."

"Oh, and you trust _me_ to bring him safely to the police?" Kai asked dryly with a cocked eyebrow and a skeptical expression as he and Jay prepared to leap over the railing.

"I really don't care what you do with the…," I stopped when I saw Lloyd's miserable-looking face staring up at Arwyn. "Just get back safely," I finished quietly as I reached the boy and tilted his chin up to inspect his swollen jaw and bloodied mouth. I sighed. None of this should ever have happened.

With his eyes still on Arwyn, Lloyd began remorsefully, "I'm so sorry I ever let them loose…"

I cut him off quickly. "Don't start with that, Lloyd! This was not your responsibility. Come on. Let's go get you two checked out properly."

Interrupting Zane's therapy session, and surprising Arwyn, I scooped her up in my arms without a word and started for the stairway to below deck. She didn't protest and immediately clung to me, resting her cheek on my shoulder.

Looking down at her tear-stained face as I carried her to the infirmary, I thought about how wonderful holding her like this would be if we both didn't feel so rotten.

In the newly-remodeled infirmary, I reluctantly lay her down on the waist-high, padded exam table on the far wall that adjoined the sink counter in the right-hand corner.

Kai and I had worked last week for three days straight without training to build and install the wall and base cabinetry on this wall and the left one, as well as adding plumbing for the sink. The cupboards had been placed against the right wall and the cot remained against the left wall.

It had been hard work for two guys with little experience in carpentry or plumbing and less patience, but Nya had done a lot of supervising, and we had been determined to finish the project without hurting each other. It wasn't easy, but we succeeded. Arwyn had been so happy with the outcome that all the splinters and smashed fingers were worth it.

Now, she and Lloyd were the first patients in the new room. I watched as she sat up and rinsed her face several times under running water in the sink. "What do you think is going on?" I asked Zane worriedly. "Kai didn't have this kind of reaction when he was spit on."

Zane considered a moment. "I believe she may be having an inflammatory response as a result of an allergic reaction. Arwyn, what do you have that may take care of this?"

Her voice was muffled as she dried her face on a towel. "Antihistamine and anti-inflammatory on the second shelf in the cupboard. And your heavenly hands on me." I wished she was saying that about mine.

Zane blushed a bit as he walked to the cupboard to retrieve the items, making me roll my eyes. Helping Lloyd onto the exam table to sit beside Arwyn, I winced as I took a good look at his bruised jaw and cut lip, in addition to examining his teeth.

The only consolation was that whichever snake had done this had expired. In our frenzy, Acidicus had been the only survivor, and that wasn't intentional. Since he was continually advising us not to fight angrily, I wondered how Sensei was going to react to that. _Oh, well_…_Let this be a warning to the bastards. _

It was after four AM by the time Arwyn and Lloyd had both been treated and cleaned up. I had sent Lloyd to his bed, then helped Arwyn to hers.

Her experience had left her a little shaken, but the antihistamine was making her drowsy, so I figured that was a good thing. I had not yet asked many questions about the battle, thinking we'd talk about it at another time, and she hadn't broached the subject, either.

I had guided Arwyn to her bedroom from the bath so she wouldn't further injure herself by running into a wall or something along the way. At her bedside, she shrugged out of her robe, but didn't immediately jump under the quilt to cover up her top and shorts. _Oh, no…_

I tried hard not to look at her, but my stupid body betrayed me and reacted anyway. _Well, this is just great…At least she can't see it._

Pausing without saying anything, she reached for me with her left hand, and I caught it with my right. "I killed for the first time tonight," she said so softly I almost didn't hear her.

Taking a breath, I stepped closer, and pulled her into my arms, though not too closely, holding her silently for a moment.

I finally stroked her damp hair gently. "You were protecting Lloyd and yourself. You did what you had to do. I should have been here, and I'm sorry I wasn't. I made a poor decision."

"About what?" she whispered against the base of my throat.

"I should not have left you and Lloyd alone," I answered ruefully, disgusted with myself. "I should have anticipated something like this."

Her head remained on my shoulder as she sleepily argued, "You can't anticipate everything."

"It's what I'm supposed to do, and I didn't," I responded emphatically, separating from her slowly and reaching out to pull back the covers on her bed. "We'll talk more later. Get some rest, and don't worry about getting up until you wake up."

Later, while the rest of the team got a couple hours of rest, I sat alone in the game room. The sun rose slowly as I watched it through the porthole, ruminating over and over again about what I should have done, why I didn't consider all the possibilities, and what I now needed to do.

By mid-morning my self-deprecating mood had not improved as the guys and I labored to clean up the ship. Kai had torched the pile of bodies we had collected between the sand dunes, then we had moved the _Bounty_ back to its previous location. We were in the middle of scrubbing the deck with peroxide when Sensei Wu and Nya returned.

Silence reigned as they took in the scene. I swear the other three Masters all drifted further away from our teacher, and Nya followed them, before he fixed me with a stare. "Where are Arwyn and Lloyd?" were his first words.

I squared my shoulders, wishing I could teleport elsewhere. "They're resting below deck, and they're doing okay." I wasn't looking forward to relating the story of how his nephew and daughter, or niece, were abused and nearly kidnapped, the Fangblades nearly stolen.

Sensei wasn't normally into delaying things. He turned on his heel with his basket of goodies and headed for his quarters, simply motioning over his shoulder for me to follow. I dropped the handle of my push-broom and unenthusiastically obliged, pushing a hand through my hair.

We marched past Arwyn's quiet bedroom and entered his. I stood nervously by the door while he placed his basket on the table and glanced at the corner where the Fangblades rested in a concealed niche. I said nothing. Beginning his preparations for tea, he commanded, "Tell me."

We wound up on the mats with our steaming cups as I explained everything, minus the ten to fifteen minutes Arwyn and Lloyd had dealt with the Serpentine alone before Kai and I had arrived on the _Bounty_.

My mentor was taciturn throughout, not even commenting on the carnage or the outcome. He only said, "I see."

Determined to acknowledge my responsibilities and errors and to accept any admonishment, I forged ahead, gazing steadily at my master. "I left Arwyn alone on the _Bounty _thinking she was safe. She ended up protecting Lloyd and the Fangblades while none of her guardians were protecting _her_."

Swallowing hard, I persisted as he regarded me unblinkingly. "It was a poor decision on my part. I almost made a fatal mistake by taking the team to Ninjago City. The Fangblades could have been stolen, Lloyd could have been kidnapped, and Arwyn…" I closed my eyes and couldn't finish that thought.

Lowering my head, I concentrated on the weave of the mat under me and continued, "I don't deserve to be the leader anymore, and I shouldn't be. I'm not smart enough, I'm not fast enough. I let myself get distracted. Someone could have been killed. I want Zane to take over. He's always logical and analytical. He won't fail like I did. I'm going to step down…"

Sensei's fist slammed down on the tatami mat beside him, nearly knocking over his teacup. I jerked my head up, sucking in a breath, startled by his sudden intensity. "Rubbish! You'll do nothing of the sort! I will _not_ allow it!" I stared at him openmouthed. I hadn't seen or heard him like this in quite a while.

"Did Zane foresee this and advise you to do other than you did?"

I shook my head negatively. "No, but I…"

He kept on quickly. "Were you thinking selfishly when you went to assist the citizens of Ninjago City in their time of need?"

Another shake. "No, but…"

He waved an impatient hand. "Were you _not_ attempting to keep Arwyn and Lloyd from harm by excluding them from the dangerous situation in the city?"

I just looked at him. He knew the answer to that.

"Your only mistake was forgetting about the Fangblades and the possible effort to steal them, and you are not alone in that." He sighed. "I should have postponed bringing Arwyn here until after we had destroyed those vile tools, but I was anxious to collect her, with the intention of beginning her training and…having her near me." I certainly wasn't gonna fault him for _that_.

Pouring fresh tea for both of us, he chastised, "I will hear no more of this nonsense of your not being a worthy leader. I chose you for a reason, and you will _not_ abdicate over one unfortunate episode."

Handing me the cup, he went on with my pep talk. "Lloyd has been kidnapped before, Arwyn has survived her first battle, probably having developed a healthy distaste and respect for the Serpentine, and the Fangblades were not found. You will now be more diligent about not allowing your emotions to interfere with your job, and we will make better plans for the Fangblades' destruction when the time is right." _Huh? To which of my emotions was he referring?_

"We have all learned from this incident, and you know you can only _plan_ for future interactions with the enemy, you cannot fully manipulate them." He calmly sipped from his little cup as I stared into mine.

"I wish for you to bring Arwyn to me as soon as she wakes. I will have a poultice prepared to help with her injury. But, for now," his eyes crinkled as he smiled, "make sure that the deck is spotless and the others aren't loafing in your absence."

Knocking back the remainder of my tea, I rose and bowed, sincerely expressing my gratitude. Although I felt tons lighter as I left his quarters, there was still a weight on my chest.

When was I going to have the guts to carry out the decision I had made on my frenetic drive to the _Bounty_?

**A/N: Please review! (You know, type a few words and hit the button!:) And have an awesome weekend!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: No own Lego Ninjago. OMG, I am feeling the love over the reviews I got on the last chapter! You guys are awesome! I am striving to write more, but the next chapter may be the last for this story:( Anyway, MoonBlazer, hope Cole's in touch enough for you this chapter:) PLEASE everyone, read, enjoy, and review!  
**

**Chapter 21**

****Arwyn's POV**

_No breath…can't …breathe. _

_Weight…so heavy…suffocating…unbearable. _

_So dark…can't see. _

_Breathe…try to…breathe. _

_Can't move …what's holding me?_

_Smell of soil…grit in my mouth. _

Struggling to move, I was able to make a fist. Finally, I could move something. Felt rocks in my grip.

Still couldn't expand my chest to breathe. Rocks pressed down on me, compressing me.

Was I buried alive? Crushed by an avalanche?

I opened and closed my left hand. Maybe I could dig myself out.

If only I could breathe. My lungs burned, screamed for air. Inhale! If I could just breathe!

I felt more room to move my hand and began to scrape frantically, desperately, at the dirt, clawing to get free.

A loud clatter jerked me to consciousness as I flailed my arm.

Sucking in air as though I had just emerged from water after a deep dive, I sat straight up in bed as I woke from my dream, and attempted to open my eyes, wondering why a sliver of dim light was all I could see. As I gasped for breath, I rubbed my burning eyes, and the memory of the battle and the subsequent spitting flooded back to me.

_Well, that explains that_, I thought as I panted. _How long have I been sleeping?_ Fumbling blindly for the annoying alarm clock, I found only the electric cord and followed it down to the floor, reeling in the fallen appliance like a fish on a string. Once I got it up, the face of it was nothing but a dim, red blur to me. _Well, this sucks. Hope it's not permanent._

_Now what the heck is going on with Cole? _The overwhelming weight of his element in my chest was still there. It was usually very comforting, except when he was stressed about something, like during the battle.

At that time I had felt this crushing sensation in my chest and abdomen as, in awe, I had watched him ferociously take down one Serpentine warrior after another, then boldly face down the fearsome reptilian general.

Admiration and trepidation had mingled again as it had in the clinic when he threatened Jin Kita. I had now seen just how dangerous this ninja could be. Was this the same wonderful man who had apologized with a cupcake, flirted with me, then held me tenderly less than a week ago?

The pressure hadn't abated until after he had carried me to the infirmary. Now the compression felt like a ton of bricks again. _Did something horrible happen?_ Worry shot through me as I sat quietly in the tangled sheets and caught my breath, starting suddenly when I heard Sensei Wu's loud exclamation from his quarters. _What the…?!_

I sat perfectly still, trying to make out his words as he continued to speak ardently, though not as loudly. To my irritation, I couldn't understand anything, and by the time I had thrown back the covers and stumbled out of bed to eavesdrop at the door, he had quieted down. _Drat._

With bated breath, I stayed by the entry for a few minutes, just in case I could catch something, but he was quiet again. Sighing, I began to turn away from the door, when I realized the weight in my torso had eased. A lot. _Thank goodness. For Cole and for me._

A quiet click from down the hall, then a soft footfall outside the door had me smoothing my hair right away with both hands. I allowed my long bangs to hang in my face to camouflage my swollen eyes before I jerked the door open, forgetting, but not caring anyway, that I was in only my sleep clothes.

"Cole! What happened? What's wrong? Is Lloyd alright?" I asked anxiously.

I heard his boot scuff the floorboards, and he laughed softly. "It still sometimes freaks me out a little that you can do that!"

"Sorry!" I said quickly, groping for his arm which he conveniently placed within my reach. "Get in here and tell me what's going on!" I dragged him in and promptly stubbed my toe on the leg of the bed when I turned back toward it. "Sonova-!"

"Ooh, looks like we may benefit from a little special training while you're vision-impaired!" he remarked as he guided me toward the head of the bed and sat me down on the mattress. He modestly pulled the quilt over my legs as I drew them up and squeezed my battered toe.

"Yay," I muttered. "Now about…"

"Lloyd's fine. He was still sleeping when I checked on him last."

"Then tell me why you're so upset!"

He paused a long moment before going on quietly, "Again, that freaks me out. My element…?"

"It was seriously crushing, to say the least."

He sat on the bed in front of me, and how I wished that I could see the lightly-bronzed face that had become so dear to me, the greenish-grey eyes lined with thick, black lashes within which I so often lost myself. Instead, he was just a dark blob.

"I was just explaining to Sensei about the…incident…during the night. Why there were so many stains on the deck, that sort of thing."

I grimaced, remembering the scene. "What else?"

"That's it," he replied evasively.

I snorted lightly. "I know there's more. Tell me or…," I thought hard for a good enough threat. "Or I'll shout your full name all over this ship," I declared with a determined expression. I knew he had left the door open and figured I could probably yell loud enough.

Cole didn't seem worried. "Arwyn, really?"

I was not bluffing. "One…" I held up an index finger.

"That's really all we talked about," he said with an insistent note, trying to convince me.

Two fingers and a corner of my mouth came up in fair warning. "Two…"

"There was nothing else of importance!" Nervousness had crept into his voice. And maybe a little desperation?

Drawing a deep breath, I prepared to blast his name from the prow to the stern when I suddenly felt a warm, calloused hand latch onto the nape of my neck, his other was clamped firmly over my mouth.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything!" He had pulled me in closer to him and spoke urgently near my cheek. "Just promise not to make a sound if I let you go!"

Since I was laughing so hard under his hand, all I could do was nod. Apparently he still didn't trust me. He kept his hands where they were, holding me near him so that I was resting in the crook of his elbow with my hands on his rock-hard thigh. I definitely did _not_ have a problem with that!

In a brazen attempt to tease him, I leaned on the hand nearest his knee and slid the other close to his hip, feeling his quadriceps tense as I did so. _Heh, heh! _

Cole caught his breath for an instant, then after shifting on the bed, he proceeded to tell me the rest of his conversation with our teacher. I didn't remove my hand.

I almost missed the part about him taking responsibility for everything that had happened with the Serpentine, since I was distracted by his intoxicating scent. Freshly-plowed soil in the warm sun again…He'd been outside all morning working.

I was jerked back to what he was saying when he got to the part about asking to be relieved as our leader. His self-esteem was usually better than that! Frowning, I grunted with disapproval and lightly bit his palm. He flinched slightly in response, but didn't move it.

"I know, I know! I already got it from Sensei. He made it clear that wasn't an option, and that I'm performing well enough." He sighed. "But I still doubt my decision, and you and Lloyd got hurt. That was my fault. Mostly." I shook my head a smidge to argue with him.

Positioning my face so I felt we were almost nose-to-nose, he continued in a chiding manner, "But _you_ disobeyed my order to hide and not fight! You _have_ to obey me if I'm the leader!" I huffed at that.

"Yes, you do," he insisted, then added with pride, "Although, you did pretty well at what we've been training you to do. You and Lloyd stayed alive, and I saw the two snakes you dropped." I beamed inwardly at his praise. "But I can't repeat what was almost a critical error. You will not be left alone again."

_Great. Twenty-four-hour surveillance now? _I was mumbling against his hand to protest this when I felt his whole body stiffen. I didn't have time to wonder why.

"Ah, my child. I see Cole has awakened you and is preparing to bring you to me as I requested," came Sensei's quiet voice from my doorway. "Is that correct, Cole?"

The powerful ninja floundered for a response as he hurriedly released me from what was probably a thought-provoking embrace and stood up from the bed. "Uh, yes, Sensei! I was about to step out, and, uh, let her dress, then I'll get her to you." I had to bite the inside of my cheek not to laugh at the edgy feeling in the room.

"Good, then," Sensei cheerfully responded. "I will meet you in the infirmary in five minutes." The whisper of his footsteps faded as he retreated down the hall.

"Well, he sounded amused," I observed with a grin.

I heard Cole's ragged exhalation before he placed a hand on my wrist. "Do you need me to get you anything before I run up and check on the guys?"

I almost accepted his offer, but thought it might be unseemly of me to have him digging through my lingerie drawer, so I declined and sent him on his way. I still had a little time to take advantage of his willingness to help later.

It took about a day and a half for all of the inflammation to recede, so in the meantime, I got plenty of sympathy from my considerate teammates who each seemed to harbor a certain degree of guilt over the incident.

Kai insisted that he should have seen it coming and skewered the Venomari before it happened. Jay and Zane regretted taking the extra time to check on the peacefully-sleeping Sofiya and not being there to help more.

And then there was Cole, who tried to take on all the blame while being subtle about it, but failed. I had my own guiding-eyes ninja everywhere I went, a butler to fix my plate and cut my meat, a lackey to do my laundry, minus my unmentionables, and all my chores, etc. I have to admit that I milked the situation as best I could for every ounce of his attention.

Did _**I**_ feel remorse for this? Not at all, because I paid for it with the 'special training' our fearless leader had promised. Oh, yeah. All I can say is that sparring and weapons training while vision-impaired are _not_ amusing ways to pass your time.

After all of that, once my sight cleared, I noticed that the general mood of the team needed lightening up. If they thought they needed to make atonement, I decided I would help them do that in a rather juvenile way.

****Cole's POV**

As usual, I woke well before the alarm clock, at about five. Lying in the predawn dimness, I stared up at the bottom of Jay's bunk for a while, thinking back on the last couple of days since the battle.

Arwyn's temporary blindness had finally resolved itself, making me feel immensely better for her. Unfortunately, it also relieved me of my guilt-driven duties of assisting her with everything, something I really didn't mind, since it gave me an excuse to hang around with her for two days without Sensei glaring at me.

You'd swear he normally thought I was some wanton barbarian looking to claim a virtuous maiden.

I had to admit, though, that he seemed to have loosened up a little on that the past week or so. When he caught us in that compromising position on her bed, he hadn't shot daggers at me the way he had done at other times. His mood and tone had even seemed light when he was addressing me then, and later, in the infirmary, as we tended to her.

Of course, had he known some of the impure thoughts going through my head as I held her, he definitely would _not_ have been so generous. Not that I was thinking of anything worse than what he'd done with her mother…

Pushing that unchaste topic aside before it got out of hand, I folded my arms under my head and thought of a puzzling conversation I'd had with the brother above me yesterday. 'Puzzling' because I really didn't think Jay thought about much more than Nya and his contraptions.

That morning I had been checking on things in the bridge, then wandered out onto the quarterdeck. From there, I noticed Arwyn and Kai on the main deck near the prow going through a sword-handling drill while her sight was still limited.

The fiery opportunist was standing behind her with his arms around her, unnecessarily readjusting her grip on his Sword of Fire like it was a baseball bat. I fought hard against the overwhelming sense of possessiveness that almost had me jumping the railing and forcefully separating them. Jay happened to bound up the steps to meet me at just the right time.

"Hey, bro, what's hap-? Whoa. _That's_ not a happy look." I turned my sight on him as he was looking away from me to see what had held my attention on the main deck. A broad grin was spreading across his face.

"Well, looks like Kai is trying to take advantage of Arwyn's handicap while he can, huh? Smart man. That way they're more vulnerable and slower when you chase 'em." It really annoyed me when he laughed at that.

I tried to keep my expression neutral while I wondered just why the hell he was saying this, but I guess I just traded my pissed-off-at-Kai face for my why-the-hell-are-you-saying-this one.

He looked back at me with an amused and perplexed air. "What? At least he's persistent. He may have been rejected once, but he let his feelings be known early." He waved a hand confidently. "He still has time to work on her." This was not helping me.

Resting his elbows on the railing, he continued his monologue, evidently not aware that I was getting more irritable by the second. "I wish I had done it that way with Nya, instead of dragging it out for so long, admiring her from afar, keeping all my feelings for her to myself until we were almost killed."

"Your feelings were obvious from the beginning, Jay," I informed him flatly as I kept my eye on the man in vermilion who hadn't yet removed his paws from the woman in evergreen.

He ignored me and kept on going. "Yep. Zane and Kai did it the right way. Just tell 'em how you feel, and deal with the consequences right away, no matter what the result. Life is way too short to take it slow! You never know how much time you really have left. Carpe diem!" What the frick was with all the clichés?

Pushing my bangs off of my brows with a fingertip, I narrowed my gaze at the blabbermouth. "Jay, where are you going with this?"

Looking at me with all innocence, he said, "Oh, I'm just saying that's the way we all ought to be when it comes to things like that. Like, I heard a song recently that went, 'if you love something, set it free. If it comes back…' Oh, wait, that's not it." I blinked hard at him.

He paused a moment, looking deep in thought. I hoped he didn't pass out. "Oh, yeah! I got it! 'If you love somebody, better tell them while they're here 'cause they just might run away from you'," he finished, beaming. Nice.

From behind me, Nya spoke up. "I know that song! It's really catchy and has a good message." She stepped up to the railing on my other side and smiled across me at Jay, nodding. "You're right, Jay! If you care about someone, you should never wait to tell that person how you feel."

"Thanks, Nya!" A dreamy, doofus look was plastered on his mug.

Looking at me meaningfully, she added, "Don't you agree, Cole?" Were these two now in cahoots and working against me?

Putting my back to my goofy colleague, I looked hard at Nya and mouthed, "What have you told him?" She smiled coyly and traced an X on her chest. Sighing, I knew I had to trust her.

I peered back at the twosome in the prow. Kai had finally allowed Arwyn to swing the sword on her own, encouraging her as she practiced on a target he had set up.

Why did I still see the fire ninja as a challenger for Arwyn's affection? She had told me that she wasn't interested in him like that. Besides that, he was my brother in all but blood. I shouldn't feel this primitive urge to hit him every time he got around Arwyn like I was an alpha male. But what if he made a second attempt to win her over?

As insane as it seemed, Jay actually made sense and just supported the idea that I needed to talk to Arwyn soon. But, for the moment, I decided to touch on another subject.

Going back to the blue ninja with a serious expression, I said, "As long as I have you here, what about that secret you know about Arwyn?" His eyes widened, and he took a step back from me.

"Uh, I think I need to take care of something below deck." Spinning on his heel, he bolted for the steps and left me alone with Nya.

"'Secret'?" Nya looked suspiciously at me.

_Oh, crap_. I didn't need to get the blatherer in trouble. "Uh, just some little thing he learned about her that's probably embarrassing," I tried to cover. "He's being a gentleman and not blabbing it to everybody, but, you know me, I've got to be 'in the know' on everything. Heh."

Raising an eyebrow, she seemed to let it go, glancing back to the duo with the sword, then studying me as I leaned on the railing, watching them. "Those feelings you've had haven't gotten any less, have they?"

"Nope."

I caught her knowing look out of the corner of my eye. "Only getting stronger?"

"By the hour."

"Do you still care that she's the high-and-mighty Green Ninja?"

"Not a bit."

Smiling smugly, she crossed her arms. "You know I want to say 'I told you so'."

"Knock yourself out."

Nya just chuckled. "Well, Cole MONT-anaro. When are you going to invite Arwyn to go mountain climbing? I'm sure she'd love to at any time. Probably already has the peak picked out, just needs the guide." How subtle.

"As a matter of fact, I'm planning on talking to her before long."

"You don't have to plan _everything,_ you know," she replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "What's holding you back?"

Before I had had to admit that I was insecure about Arwyn's response, Lloyd had bounced up to us with two bo staffs, insisting that he and I go down to join the red and green ninja in training. Looking at his eager, bruised, and still-puffy face, I couldn't refuse, so that had ended Nya's full-court press on me.

But, since then, I'd had time to think more about my reasons for being insecure, even when Arwyn seemed to like having me around. It went back to someone else's relationship.

My father was very bitter after my mother left us. He had continually stressed to me that any woman was capable of luring me in like a Siren, then ripping out my heart, taking whatever I had of monetary value, and leaving me with any children she bore for me who didn't matter to her. Like his son.

I spent my teens thinking all women were cruel and heartless, only wanting to use me for whatever selfish desires they might have. Being male, I couldn't completely stay away from them, yet I also couldn't bring myself to just use them, like my father suggested.

So I satisfied myself with their company and just a little physical contact until I felt they were wanting more, then I dodged them. I couldn't let them get attached to me, and I was very conscious not to get close to any of them.

To make up for what was lacking in my life, I had kept myself moving, striving to be better and stronger in every sense of the words. I had finally been found by Sensei and gained true meaning in my life.

Then Sensei had sent me for Arwyn. From the moment I met her, it was obvious to me that she was different. At first, she was closed to me, only slowly opening up and offering me a teasing glimpse into her soul. If she was a Siren, her song was the sweetest, most mesmerizing ever sung. I could find no gnashing teeth or rending claws, no matter how hard I looked.

I had slowly, but surely, been drawn closer to her snare, and I could fight it no longer. I had forgotten why I was even fighting. I wanted to be roped and tied. I imagined her rope to be one of silk…

How did I get to this point? I thought of my father and what his reaction would be, but it didn't really matter to me anymore. He'd had his chance and, unfortunately, lost. Now he refused to try again. If one can sometimes only learn from one's mistakes and experiences, then it was my turn, but I couldn't see how trusting Arwyn with my heart would be a mistake.

I now knew how I felt, although it had been hard for me to admit it. I loved her more than I could ever have imagined loving someone. She had become my world, my heart, my soul. I needed her to breathe, to survive.

Now I had to do the really tough part. Tell her, and find out how she felt.

That's where the hesitation came in. What if she didn't really want me? She had issues of her own, stemming from a crappy relationship she'd had with some _stronzo_ in Miyagi.

She'd only mentioned him once to me, and I hadn't gotten his name, which was probably best. It would only tempt me to hunt him down and make him regret his life since he'd met her, just for hurting her.

I rolled over onto my side and considered what I would do if my feelings for Arwyn were unrequited. In truth, it would devastate me, petrify my heart, destroy my soul. But at least I could say that I'd pushed past my limits, and she'd know. After that, I supposed I'd just deal with it and live with loving her at arm's length until I either got over it or died, whichever came first.

Heaving a breath, I figured I'd better get off of this train of thought before it wrecked my mood in a colossal way. I checked the clock and saw the alarm would be going off in two minutes.

Throwing back the covers, I sat up, swinging my legs out and over the edge of the bed, putting my bare feet down to the floor, directly into something cold, wet, and slimy.

"Ahhh!" I immediately jerked my feet back with a loud, startled cry I wasn't able to bite back.

Holding my wet feet up, I looked down in the semidarkness and could just make out a large, rectangular shape on the floor by my bed. "What the…?"

"Whazz goin' on?" I heard Jay ask sleepily from above me. I didn't answer him, just stepped over the thing on the floor and stomped to the door to turn on the light. The other three bundles in beds twisted and groaned with the sudden illumination.

Kai shielded his eyes like a vampire in the sunlight. "Whazz with the light, man? It's not even time to get up yet!"

The alarm clock began it's bleeping beeping as he said that, so I stepped closer to the dresser and used a little restraint as I slammed my fist on the snooze button. "That!" I exclaimed with annoyance while pointing to a baking sheet filled with green gelatin marred by two large footprints. "_That_ is why the light is on! Who the hell put it there?!

"Did you step in that?" Zane asked as Jay began cackling from his bunk. Lloyd and Kai were still adjusting to the light, but started their chortling when I answered Zane with an affirmative.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, the ice ninja remarked, "With the way you sleep, someone had to be very stealthy to have put it there."

"Someone like a NINJA?" I replied irately, glaring accusingly at Jay and Kai. They didn't stop their snickering, but immediately denied any accountability.

"If I had done it, I'd have dumped it on your head while you slept!" Kai laughed as he slid off of his bunk to the floor. Nice to know.

I didn't even consider Zane as a suspect. With my feet sticking to the floor with every step, I walked over to Lloyd's cot as he stretched lazily and yawned. Crossing my arms and towering over him, I sternly regarded the tousle-haired boy. "Lloyd…"

Undaunted, he huffed, "I don't even know how to make gelatin! You won't let me near the oven, remember?" With that remark I ruled him out.

Turning back to the others, I declared, "I know one of you did it, _Jay or Kai, _and I'm going to find out which one! Be prepared." They didn't seem concerned.

"We're not the only ones on this ship, you know," Jay retorted as he straightened his sheets.

"Oh, so you're suggesting Sensei, Arwyn, or Nya did this?" I asked sarcastically.

Jay and Kai paused in silence for a moment before each pointed at the other, saying, "He did it!"

What was I heading here, a daycare center? I shook my head as I walked to the bathroom to do my morning routine and wash my sticky feet. I'd get to the bottom of this before they knew it.

**A/N: Please review, review, review! I love to hear from my good and faithful readers!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Wish I owned Ninjago! ********It would never end**! (Please bring them back, LEGO!) Thank you all for the great reviews! You are all so awesome to still be reading my story!

**(BTW, not to insult your intelligence, but I hope I made everyone understand what Jay was doing in the last chapter. He wasn't very subtle.) **

**This chappie is a little shorter than usual, but it was getting long, and I'm past ready to post. Mostly done for fun! Hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you did in the little box at the bottom XP**

**Chapter 22**

****Cole's POV**

After much grumbling while washing the green sugar off of my feet and changing into my gi, I went to hang out in the hallway outside the bunkroom. This was presumably to wait for Zane, but I really wanted to try to see Arwyn as she began her morning routine.

Oh, how I wished that she could be the first person I'd see each morning when I woke from my dreams instead of the four amigos with whom I shared the bunkroom. I heard a sudden round of laughter from there and didn't even want to guess at what had brought it on.

Before long, her door opened, and Arwyn emerged barefooted into the hallway wearing a short, coral-colored robe. Although the passageway was dimly lit, as always, she immediately zeroed in on where I leaned silently against the wall in the shadowy corner.

Passing a hand through her uncombed locks, she blessed me with a sleepy smile that positively lit up her face. "G'morning, Cole! What are you up to so early?" I swore her voice was like birdsong to me.

Walking toward her with a smile I hoped wasn't too big, I wanted to tell her the truth, "I'm waiting for my sun to rise, and you just did." But, like a coward, I spoke the other truth. "Just waiting for Zane to head over to the kitchen. He's going to help me with frittatas for breakfast."

She frowned a little at that. "Frittatas? I thought this was Zane's day to cook."

"It is, but I felt like doing something my dad used to cook every weekend, so the master's gonna back me up." I didn't want to be serving a mess to Arwyn. Or the others, for that matter.

"Oh, well, good luck then," she said brightly, reaching for the bathroom door handle. "I'm sure it'll be delicious!"

_She is so wonderful_, I sighed blissfully to myself as I watched her duck into the little room.

Arwyn always ate everything I cooked without a single snide comment and complimented me afterwards, instead of making fun of my culinary skills, or lack thereof, like other unnamed persons on this ship. That alone was reason for me to love her, although I had a thousand others.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice Zane had left the bunkroom until he passed me with an amused, inquisitive look as I stood in the middle of the corridor. "Cole, are you in there?"

"Uh, yeah! Let's go," I answered hastily. Shaking my head at myself and to clear it, I followed him as he led the way.

I was about three steps behind my brother in white when he pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen and the most god-awful, banging cacophony, like a small explosion, resounded through the kitchen and dining area.

With a low cry of surprise, Zane threw himself back from the door and into a crouching defensive stance, causing me to plow headlong into him in a less-than-dignified manner as I instinctively lunged forward to confront the assault.

Alarmed and disconcerted, we bounced off of each other, barely keeping our footing, then glanced around quickly in embarrassment, checking to see if anyone had witnessed the comical result of our reactions.

Regaining my composure, I straightened my jacket and flipped my hair off of my brow, whispering, "What the heck was that?!"

As I peered around Zane to the closed door, he recovered his dignified air and answered, "I am not certain, but I saw a flash of metal as I pushed open the door, then that horrendous clanging sounded." Standing on the hinge side of the door, he began to push the portal open with his hand in an exquisitely slow manner.

_This is taking too long_, I thought as I impatiently side-kicked the door, sending it banging against the kitchen wall, loudly scattering a dozen pots and pans all over the floor. The place was otherwise empty. "What the…?!" Perplexed, I stood in the doorway as Zane examined it for any damage from my foot.

"Another prank, perhaps?" He was inspecting something in his hand. "Here is what was attached to the cooking vessels. Clear filament, probably from the fishing gear." Looking next to the door, he deduced, "The pots were tied together on the counter nearby, then the filament was tacked to the door. When I opened it, the motion pulled everything onto the floor. Unnerving and clever."

I jumped to a foregone conclusion right away. "Clever, like a wanna-be engineer?" I immediately assumed it was Jay, since…well, why wouldn't I expect it to be him?!

Not only that, but after building and hanging cabinets with Kai, I couldn't really see his attention span lasting long enough to tie all of those pots and pans together, then fight with the door.

Probably trying to keep from implicating Jay and instigating trouble, Zane looked up and away from me without commenting. Too late. Between this and the warm-feet-in-the-cold-gelatin thing, I was about ready to kick Jay's baby-blue butt.

"Whatever," I mumbled under my breath, heading over to retrieve the nearest pan and yanking it free from the others. As Zane helped me pick up the rest, Jay, Lloyd, and Kai appeared in the doorway.

"What in the world was that racket?!" Jay exclaimed right before I whirled to face him, pointing an accusing skillet in his direction.

"As if you didn't know!" I answered crossly. "And it took you two long enough to get here! If we'd been having actual trouble, Zane and I would be toast by now!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jay held his hands up defensively. "You think _I_ did this?" He looked at the remaining pots still spread out on the floor. "What happened anyway, Mr. Crab?"

Skipping over our collision outside the door, Zane briefly explained the prank as I gathered ingredients for the frittatas, fuming the whole time. Of course, all three maintained their innocence while laughing their tails off, then left us to our breakfast-making.

Trying to let go of the testiness I was feeling, I concentrated on preparing for the meal, chopping the ham and asparagus while Zane got the utensils ready. We worked in a comfortable silence, until he went to crack the eggs into the mixing bowl.

"Well, this is curious," I heard him comment. Stopping my dicing, I glanced over at the color-free ninja as he placed an egg on the counter, lifted another from the carton and struck it against the rim of the bowl with a dull crack.

I watched him with growing interest as he scrutinized the hen apple in his hand for a moment before he met my gaze, saying, "They seem to be boiled."

"Are you kidding me?!" Staring at him blankly for a second, I tried to comprehend what he was talking about when it hit me. Another freakin' prank.

Quickly grabbing several random eggs from the four-and-a-half dozen on the ship, I cracked them on the counter, getting the same result from each. They were all boiled.

_Gimme a break here!_ Closing my eyes and placing both hands on the counter, I gritted my teeth to keep from cursing around Zane. There went my frickin' frittata.

"Perhaps we can try another morning," Zane said regretfully, trying to keep me from losing my cool. "After we buy more eggs. In the meantime, a sautéed asparagus, ham, and egg salad with bagels would also be nice for breakfast." I just looked at him with a resigned frown.

But, as usual, he was right. Our concoction was pretty good, and everyone appeared to truly appreciate it, since there was none left afterwards.

As we ate, Kai merrily caught Arwyn, Nya, and Sensei up on the other two pranks, and I let Zane explain why he chose the form of breakfast we were enjoying.

Arwyn was nice enough not to laugh too much, remarking that she felt sorry for me for having been subjected to all three mischievous tricks within little more than half an hour and that she had been looking forward to my frittatas.

Nya just laughed herself silly, and Sensei chuckled, commenting only that he supposed our next meal would contain boiled eggs, also. We were actually planning on tuna-and-egg-salad sandwiches.

Everyone wondered who could be the culprit, while I eyed Jay with very little doubt as he scarfed his egg-salad-and-bagel sandwich with shameless gusto. How could I prove it?

After breakfast, we began training as usual, nothing special. Close to lunchtime, Zane, Jay, and Arwyn took the prow for elemental training, while Kai and I were sparring in our usual uniforms near the stern.

We had been going at it pretty energetically on this very warm morning, finally slowing down on this session after about half an hour for a water break. Pulling off our hooded helmets and masks, we headed for the water cooler between the stairways for a cool drink.

I didn't notice anything different about Kai for a minute, I honestly don't spend a lot of time looking at him, but when I was chugging my second mug and saw his greasy 'do plastered to his head, I almost choked.

Laughing between coughs, I wiped water from my chin and chest armor. "Uh, Kai, your hair's a little…flat." He looked like a slimy rat.

Looking at me strangely, he answered sarcastically, "Well, der, we're sweating buckets."

"No, worse than that, smart-ass," I shot back, causing him to self-consciously lift a hand and begin to run it through his slick mop, stopping halfway, horrorstruck.

"What _IS_ this in my hair?!" he nearly shouted, jerking his shiny hand down to take a look at it. The trio in the prow paused momentarily to check us out with curiosity from across the deck.

Rubbing his lubricated fingers together, then back through his limp, oily hair, the firestormer almost lost it, turning more crimson than he already was from the heat and exertion of our fighting. "WHAT IS THIS?!" he repeated irately while I tried not to laugh too hard directly in his face.

Picking up his helmet from the deck, I peered into it. "Jeez! The stuff is all over in here!" I swiped a finger through the inside, taking a sample of a clear, slippery substance. Rubbing it between my finger and thumb, I surmised, "Seems like petroleum jelly."

Snatching his helmet from me, Kai brought it to his face, crying with dismay, "_WHAT?!_ That stuff'll _never_ come out of there! Who the hell would _do_ this?!"

Crossing my arms over my chest, I gave him a self-assured look, then raised an eyebrow while gazing in the lightning ninja's direction.

Highly peeved, Kai turned on his heel abruptly and headed toward the stairway to below deck. "Hey!" I yelled at his back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To wash this junk out of my hair and helmet!" he snapped back impatiently over his shoulder.

"But, we're not nearly done here!"

"YES, WE ARE!" Pausing at the top step, Kai gestured toward the prow and the three ninja staring at him from there. "And as for whoever did this, _watch your back_! You have to sleep sometime!" With that, he disappeared. I was just glad I wasn't involved in the prank this time.

A little over an hour later, I went to the bunkroom to let Kai know lunch was ready. I hadn't seen or heard from him since he'd stomped down the stairway, and found him standing in just his gi pants, rubbing his head dry with a towel.

Seeing him shirtless, I was really glad we always trained in full uniform. I didn't think I could take having him strut around in front of Arwyn like that. It was bad enough she had seen him in nothing but her shorts. Of course, I _still_ looked better than he did…

Mentally face-palming, I knew I seriously needed to work on some insecurities. Get back to the present here!

"Kai, lunch is ready. You've been in here for an hour. Has it really taken you this long to clean that junk out of your hair and helmet?"

He gave me a look of impatient annoyance like I was an idiot. "I haven't even _touched _my helmet yet!" Fuming, he threw the towel to the floor. "It took me several minutes just to figure out why the shampoo didn't look or smell the same and why it wouldn't make suds. That was because it was CORN SYRUP!"

I was clenching my jaws so hard I was afraid I'd break a tooth, while I tried not to laugh, much less smile, at his aggravating situation as he paced around the room.

"Then I had to get out of the shower and drip everywhere to find the _actual _shampoo, which was hidden _behind_ the towels in the cabinet!" he continued. "After that, I had to shampoo my hair _five times_ before it didn't feel greasy anymore! It'll probably take my entire jar of hair putty to make it look decent!"

Not being successful at keeping the amused grin from my face, I covered it with a hand as he turned toward me and pointed his finger angrily in my direction. "When I find out who did this, I am _seriously_ gonna hurt him! What _you_ did to me was bad enough, but _nobody_ messes with my _hair!_"

Alarms were starting to go off here. I brought my hands up and spoke calmly in an effort to keep this raging wildfire from blazing out of control. "Whoa! Take it easy, Kai. This was meant as a joke, remember? Let's not get angry and violent. If you like, I'll help you out and clean your helmet for you."

He caught his shirt when I tossed it to him. "For now, just cool down and let me buy you a sandwich." Opening the door, I motioned for him to enter the hallway ahead of me, wondering why Jay was willing to risk life and limb for a few immature practical jokes.

A few minutes later, we were in the dining area partaking of our second boiled-egg-based meal. Kai, the nicest-smelling of the bunch, was also the grumpiest, but he was hungry, so he ate instead of threatening anyone, namely Jay, who sat directly across from him.

I quieted everyone's questions about his unusually tame hair, saying I'd explain later. No one pressed the issue and as much as I looked for clues to support Jay's guilt, I saw nothing.

I did, however, notice when he began to make unusual movements with his tongue and mouth. He was working on his second tall glass of tea and had eaten almost half of his first sandwich when he began licking his lips and pressing them together in an odd way.

I finally couldn't stand watching him any longer without commenting on it and was about to do that, but Sensei was ahead of me. "Jay, are you in some distress?"

His jerked his head in our direction, and his face reddened as everyone turned their attention to him. "Wh-whaddoo you mean?" His speech seemed thick-tongued.

"What's up with your mouth?" I put in plain words. "And you sound a little slurred."

"You look like a gasping fish!" declared Lloyd next to me. I nudged him with my elbow, and he quietly went back to his lunch.

Jay blushed more, covering his lips with his fingertips, and glanced over to Nya at his side who regarded him curiously. "I-I doan know. My lipth, my tong, my whole mouth ith getting numb."

Arwyn looked up from her sandwich with concern upon hearing his speech. Jay leaned back to see her since Nya sat between them. "Could thith be thomthin theriouth?" he asked anxiously.

She considered a moment. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"No!"

"Well, mouth numbness could be caused by a number of things. A neurological problem, like a stroke, toxic food poisoning from certain types of fish, anaphylaxis from food allergies, eating hot peppers…"

"You think I could be habing a throke?!" It was seriously funny how he almost came unglued at that suggestion.

"Take it easy, Jay!" Arwyn smiled and motioned with a hand to try to calm him. "I doubt seriously you're having a stroke!"

"Wad aboud doxic fith?"

"The tuna's not toxic, Jay." She thought a second. "Well, it probably has mercury, but…"

Zane got an odd look and squinted at Jay's glass from his spot at the other end of the table. Reaching out, he picked it up, observing, "There seems to be something smeared on the rim."

"Ith it poithon?!" the blue ninja yelped in a panic.

Kai didn't look up. "I hope no one beat me to it."

Giving his comrades on either side of him a sidelong glance, Zane ran a finger along the rim, then onto the tip of his tongue. Everyone at the table was still and quiet as we waited for his verdict. "It could be a local anesthetic."

Jay appeared confused. "What ith that, and how ith it diffent from a long-dithanth one?"

I rolled my eyes as Arwyn chuckled. "It's something used to numb a skin or mucous membrane surface," she explained. "Like baby teething gel."

A flash of suspicion hit me at that, and I suddenly focused my gaze on the woman in front of me. Everyone else peered over at her, also, and she quickly caught on, proclaiming indignantly, "What? Like I'm the only one who could get that? Stuff like baby teething gel is sold everywhere, and every one of you has access to my medicine cupboard. Don't try to pin this on me!"

Nya cocked her head. "She's right. I helped myself to some of that last week for a mouth ulcer that was really bothering me." Jay cast her an accusing eye. "But I didn't do this, so watch that look!" she warned him.

Lloyd laughed as he swallowed the last of his lunch. "Maybe someone's trying to tell you to give your mouth a rest, Jay!"

The latest prank victim ignored him, addressing Arwyn, "How long ith thith gone to lath?"

Sighing with a smile, Kai commented, "Not _nearly_ long enough!"

"Only about a couple of hours, then you'll be good as new," she reassured him. "Just be careful when you're drinking anything, or it'll be all over you."

Frowning in frustration, Jay resumed eating his meal, eyeing each of us with suspicion, as Nya kindly offered to pour him more tea and rose from the table to get him a clean glass. On my right, Sensei was quietly shaking his head, probably considering how immature his band of warriors actually was.

Meanwhile, I had my first shadow of a doubt that Jay could be the practical joker. Would he be likely to do _this_ to himself? Talking meant too much to him.

As I watched her calmly finish her lunch, I felt like a heel for even considering Arwyn. There was no way.

**A/N: Any comments or suggestions, let me know! Please review and have a great week! **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: As always, I only own my OCs. Shoutout to my faithful supporters of my last couple of chapters: HersheyChoco101, birthdaypi, NinjaNat0215, Iheartninjago2010, and Xyla Key N. XV- -and everyone who at least _reads_ my stuff! You guys rock! **

**As you read this chappie, keep in mind it is rated T, for _everything_. No sex, just very suggestive.  
**

**Informal poll, for possible future story lines: which would you rather see, Cole in peril or in angst? Let me know at the bottom!**

**Chapter 23**

****Cole's POV**

The rest of the day and evening went by prank-free. But we four ninja were pretty paranoid anyway, eyeballing each other with distrust, checking over our shoulders, carefully opening doors and drawers, sniffing body wash and shampoo, peering inside boots and armor, and examining utensils at suppertime. It was kind of pathetic.

At bedtime, I checked under my bunk and threw back the covers to look for booby traps before lying down. The others laughed briefly, then thought better of ridiculing me and did the same. Better to be safe, than sorry. All was well, and we were able to relax enough to drift off to sleep.

Funny how long it can take you to figure out what some noise is when you're in the middle of a dream. A good one, too. After a thrilling ride on Rocky, I was alone with Arwyn in a secret forest glade with a gourmet picnic on a blanket. For hours.

But what was that frickin' noise?!

I woke as I was rolling out of my bed onto the floor, taking the sheets with me, about the time Zane was smacking the snooze button. As I rose from my hands and knees, he regarded me bleary-eyed. "You usually sleep a lot less soundly. It took you quite a while to wake."

"I was in the middle of something," I mumbled. _And I want to get back to her soon!_

"Uh, huh." He observed me for a moment while I pulled my bed linens from the floor. "Is there some reason you may have set the alarm for this particular ungodly hour?"

I squinted at the alarm clock. _Two-twenty-eight?! Why does that number seem significant?_

Straining to see his face in the dark, I was hoping he could see the mocking expression on mine. "What do _you_ think?" Kai, Jay, and Lloyd were all complaining in the audience.

"I was hoping there was a reason other than that we just got pranked again," he sighed resignedly as he reset the clock for our usual five-thirty.

Rubbing my face with both hands, I growled to the others, "Anybody want to man up and confess to this?"

"Seriously?" Jay whined. "You can't think one of us would actually wake _ourselves_ up at this idiotic time, do you?!" Just checking.

This stunt was making things look bad for Nya or Arwyn. Or Sensei. Ha. I was too tired to think about it now. Crawling back into bed, we settled down and passed out again.

I never get to go back to a dream once I've awakened from it, but, thankfully, I did that time. Rocky was lying quietly near Arwyn and me on the edge of the forest glade while we spent some 'quality time' on the blanket. Soon he started making this irritating peeping that just got louder and louder. I really missed Rocky. With everything I threw at him.

"Cole! Get up! It's your turn!" I was looking down into Arwyn's beautiful face, her hair spread out on the blanket around her head, trying to figure out what she meant by that when I was rudely wrenched away from her by a pillow thrown from across the bunkroom.

Promptly sitting straight up in the bed, I narrowly missed hitting my head on the underside of the bunk above me. The beeping of the alarm clock could still be heard although my bunkmates were trying to drown out the sound with their yelling.

"_Omigod! _ Which one of you _cretins_ is doing this crap?!" vented Kai from his upper bunk. _Yeah, you can yell like that, but __**you**__ can't get up to turn it off? _

Stumbling to the dresser, I noted the time. _Three-seventeen? Seriously?_ _Why __**this **__time?_ Swatting the clock, I grouched at Zane, "I thought you set this for five-thirty?"

"I did," he grumbled back from under his pillow. That's when I noticed there were actually two alarms set. It had a second-alarm feature we never bothered to use, but apparently someone else had. _Good show_.

I briefly considered going to bang a pot over the two sleeping beauties down the hall, and something like that was suggested by the others, but that would just get Sensei involved, and what if we were wrong? What if the perpetrator _was_ one the blockheads in the room with me?

After double-checking the set alarm, I sighed and crawled back into my bed. The others had quieted down, but Jay decided he wanted to talk.

"You sure are sleeping hard tonight, Cole," he stated with an amused lilt to his voice. "What're you dreaming about?"

"Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep." I was hoping to get back to it, but doubted I could get lucky a third time.

He shifted around above me. "I bet it's about a woman," he snickered. _Like I'm gonna tell you._

Kai had to throw in his uncalled-for comments. "Cole wouldn't dream about a woman. He never even asks one out, even when they throw themselves at him!"

"Shut up, Kai," I growled in warning as I punched my pillow and plopped my head down on it, preparing to get back to the one who _didn't_ throw herself at me. "You're no better."

"I dream about women, and I've never gone out with any." Lloyd's announcement had my eyes popping open in surprise. I guessed everyone else had done the same.

Awkward. Silence.

"I dream about Nya and Arwyn all the time," he continued. And so did the awkward silence.

I was holding my breath, wondering how to tackle this possibly delicate subject, when Kai helped me out. "Umm…just what kind of dreams do you have about them, Lloyd?" he asked hesitantly.

Lloyd was in the mood to share. "Mostly about things we do every day, like when Nya teaches me about maps or lets me help her repair an engine while she gripes that Jay'll never get to it."

"What?!" came indignantly from above me.

"Or when Arwyn plays games with me or is teaching me about anatomy and fiscology," he continued.

I thought hard for a second. "Do you mean physiology, Lloyd?"

"Yeah, something like that. It means how your body works." He paused a moment. "But, she didn't spend a lot of time on the reproductive system. She said you would explain that part more to me later, Cole." _Well, crud_. Snorting echoed from the two top bunks.

"Anything else, Lloyd?" prodded Zane. _Please, nothing else_…I didn't know if I really wanted to hear this.

There was silence a moment. "Uh, no. G'night!" He pulled his blankets up and put his back to us, leaving us trying to remember what fantasies a ten-year-old boy might dream about.

Apparently Zane was nosier this morning than he was sleepy. "Surely you dream more about them than that."

_Does he_ really_ want to stir this up? _"Uh, Zane…"

Lloyd rolled over to face us. "Well…" I braced myself for the worst. "I dream about fighting the Serpentine with them, sometimes. Like when Nya was fighting as Samurai X or when Arwyn protected me a few nights ago." _Thank goodness, it was about fighting! _

"You should have seen that! She jumped on that first snake, yelling like the bunch of you do when you're really focused during training, and got him right in the head with her tanto! Then the one who hit me in the mouth got it, too! It was so cool!" He was so animated, I wondered if he'd be able to get back to sleep.

"Right after that, she grabbed me and threw me behind her when the others surrounded us, and then Cole and Kai finally got there!" _Finally._ "So, yeah, I have dreams like that, too."

"Heh. Are we ever in your dreams?" Jay asked like he felt neglected.

Lloyd was less than enthusiastic on that subject. "Yeah. You're there, too, somewhere." Apparently we 'Masters' were only supporting back–up to his two leading ladies.

Not caring either way, Kai yawned loudly. "Okay, enough. Let's try to get a few more winks before the freakin' clock screams again." _Great idea_.

As I settled down to try to sleep again, I was at least content knowing that, although he had no mother, Lloyd had two really positive and caring female role models helping raise him right now. Maybe he would get through puberty with a more optimistic view of women than I had had.

We managed to make it through the next two hours without another untimely awakening, although I slept fitfully, without dreaming. We pretty much all did.

Neither Arwyn nor Nya acted guiltily at breakfast when they were told why we all looked like we'd had very little sleep, actually expressing a great deal of mirth over the latest episode of 'Torment the Ninja'.

Kai was the only one with the nerve to suggest that Nya and Arwyn were responsible for the pranks. Actually, he outright accused them of it to their faces, causing the rest of us to plan escape routes.

Of course, they vehemently denied this possibility, adding that, if he continued this line of thought, they would make him the target of a new barrage of practical jokes, including, but not limited to, changing his hairstyle as he slept and lightly bleaching all of his uniforms.

It's really sad to see a big, strong fire ninja backing down in fear, albeit grudgingly.

The rest of us wisely kept our theories to ourselves. Zane kept quiet and observed everyone like he was collecting clues. Jay made certain Nya knew that he absolutely did not entertain the same ideas. I wasn't so sure anymore, but I wasn't gonna let either of the women know that. I'm no idiot.

Sensei just dared us all with a look to even think about him being associated with the tricking. I swear he was never one of my suspects.

The rest of the day went as usual as far as training, chores, and being 'extra careful', passing by without incident. However, that just made me and the other three Masters more paranoid.

****Arwyn's POV**

I had had my shower as soon as Cole had called it a day a little early after weight training. The four guys had headed in different directions to take care of a couple of chores before they settled in for the evening. When I got out of the bathroom wearing jogging shorts and a fitted T-shirt, they were still finishing up whatever, wherever. It was a perfect opportunity for at least one last wee mission.

Exiting the guy's bathroom into their bunkroom after having left a little something for whomever just _had_ to be first to the shower, I had to admit that I was somewhat cocky due to the fact that I had gotten away with so much so far.

Cole's gelatin foot bath was anxiety-provoking, since I didn't expect to be able to get in and out of the bunkroom with a baking sheet without waking at least one of my ever-alert guardians. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to do just that, meaning all of the training they had been putting me through was actually coming in handy.

As a bonus, I had been able to watch Cole as he slept for a couple of minutes before I got too nervous and went back to bed. He was so peaceful and gorgeous it was hard for me to keep myself from entwining my fingers in his hair and…Jeez, I hoped that didn't make me sound like a stalker!

Anyhoo, the other stunts hadn't been really easy to execute, either. The one with the pots and pans and boiled eggs had made me miss a decent amount of sleep and forced me to be really quiet.

I ended up regretting the egg thing since I screwed up Cole's plan for frittatas without meaning to do so. I probably owed him an apology for that one later.

Kai's helmet hadn't been easy to access, either. When it wasn't on his head, it was usually in the armoire in the bunkroom. I hadn't been brave enough to try getting to it at the same time I'd pranked Cole, but I did get a hand on it between training sessions that morning when we all took a water break.

He set it down a moment, and I grabbed it, making it to the infirmary and back in one minute before anyone noticed anything. I got really lucky with that one.

Jay's teething gel had been an easy one. I set the table in full view of everyone, and, voila! The hand was quicker than the eye.

The alarm clock was the easiest, though. No one knew a thing as they played video games before bedtime, and I plotted to make a shambles of their sleep patterns.

But this was probably my last silly escapade, then I'd let them stew for a while before coming clean. Maybe. At least that's what I was thinking when I suddenly realized that the feeling of Cole's element was growing steadily stronger.

I heard him call up to someone on the main deck from the corridor. When he answered them again, he sounded closer to me. At that point, it occurred to me that I was about to get busted.

_Crud! Where the heck can I hide? No room in the armoires or under the beds! Probably too crowded with dust bunnies, anyway! The bathroom? Shower? Go!_ I raced inside and slipped silently behind the opaque shower curtain, hoping he was just coming to the bunkroom to retrieve something before going back out for a minute. No such luck.

Hearing him enter the bunkroom, then rummage around in there a minute or two, I stood quietly in the shower stall. Then he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him, walking to the lavatory as he hummed something I didn't recognize.

_OMG! What is he in here to do? Just a shower, or …something else?! This is going to be so humiliating to at least one of us! Don't breath, don't move!_

My heart was pounding as I knew I was about to be apprehended, but I refused to surrender without a fight. At least it was Cole. Maybe if I put up enough of a struggle, he'd have to take me down…

Willing myself to calm down before I started hyperventilating, I watched Cole's shadowy form through the light-colored curtain as he stood at the lavatory a couple of minutes, evidently messing with his face and hair in the mirror.

When I thought I had things under control, I lost it again as he turned away from the sink and lifted his arms, peeling off his shirt. _O. M. G._

_He's undressing! He's about to strip and get into the shower! Now what? Should I say something? Should I stop him? …Nah. At least wait till he gets down to his shorts._

Feeling like I about to pass out, either from holding my breath, or the idea that Cole was about to be naked in this bathroom, I chewed on my lower lip while I watched his dark outline probably working on the knotted drawstring of his pants.

To my regret, he suddenly stopped moving and humming and stood perfectly still. I didn't think I had moved or made a sound. The little room was very quiet. Incredibly quiet.

_What is he doing? What did he hear? _I couldn't hear a thing except my racing pulse in my ears. And the shower curtain being jerked back.

He had moved so swiftly, I jumped back a bit in surprise, causing one foot to slip a tad on the damp shower floor. In an instant, Cole's hands were on either side of my waist, steadying me. I caught his bare forearms with both hands and met his taken-aback, but amused, look under his wind-blown bangs. "Arwyn? What are you doing in here?"

He stood before me, naked from the waist up, with the drawstring of his pants untied, holding me at the waist. This was _**so **_much better than when he was shirtless in the infirmary!

I had never thought it plausible for damsels in the movies and novels to swoon at the feet of their sweethearts. Nevertheless, I was rethinking that as I shamelessly took in his beautifully sculpted abdomen, chest, shoulders, and the rest of him, along with his handsome face, feeling my legs getting rubbery.

His greenish-grey eyes held a concerned look. "Arwyn, are you okay?" _Oh, yeah!_ I accomplished a small nod and a sheepish grin. "What are you doing in here?" he repeated.

Knowing it was way too late to salvage my dignity, I began grasping at straws. "Uh, borrowing…dandruff shampoo!" I declared as I grabbed a blue bottle from the shower shelf.

"Really," I could tell from his skeptical appearance he wasn't convinced.

"I was, uh, checking for mildew, too. Gotta little in the corner there…" He hadn't taken his hands from my waist yet, nor was he falling for the shower inspection angle. "How did you know I was in here?"

"The corner of the shower curtain wasn't tucked in. It's never _not_ tucked." I kept a firm grip on his lower arms instead of placing my hands on his shoulders as he lifted me gently from the shower and set me down with my back to the bathroom door.

I didn't trust myself to touch anything else since I was already staring raptly at the rippling muscles under his olive skin.

"You ninja are a little OCD about some things, huh?" I responded flippantly once he had dropped his hands from my waist, and I was able to catch my breath.

****Cole's POV**

I hadn't wanted to, but I removed my hands from her waist before they went anywhere else while I ignored her last sarcastic comment, checking her out as I did so.

After considering how well the Green Ninja might battle in a uniform of tight T-shirts and running shorts, I dragged myself back to the issue at hand. "Um, care to explain yourself, miss?"

Tearing her wide eyes from my bare chest, she met my gaze as she backed herself against the door with a single move. I had tried to teach her better than that. "Not really." Her answer was just louder than a whisper.

With a matter-of-fact expression, I asked, "So, are you the prankster?" One small step put me close enough again to smell the citrus-scented body wash she'd used earlier.

Folding her arms in front of her, she tilted her head and smiled defiantly. "I refuse to incriminate myself."

"Okay. Sure. Care to tell me _why_ you've been pranking?" Placing my left hand on the door near her head, I leaned closer to her, our faces inches apart.

Her smile broadened and grew more confident as she lifted her chin higher. "I still refuse."

Reaching up with my right hand, I snagged a dark curl resting on her collarbone and slowly wrapped the silken tress around my index finger. "I think you have little choice but to confess to this, since you got caught red-handed."

She glanced at my hand twirling the curl, and I could see her swallow hard before she gazed back up at me, a tad less confident than before. "Caught doing what, precisely? Inspecting the shower?" Glancing at my mouth, she lightly bit her lower lip.

I wasn't known for my impulsivity, but realizing that this was one opportunity with Arwyn that Sensei Wu was _not_ going to ruin made me feel rather bold and reckless.

Still, I knew, I knew, _I knew_ that I was playing with fire, that this situation could get out of hand quickly. My old mantra was screaming in the back of my mind, but my new resolve to soon expose my heart and soul to her was busy beating it senseless.

And yet, as much as I wanted to be able to tell her everything that was in my heart, did I want to do it _here_? In the men's _bathroom_?

I tugged lightly on the lock around my finger, wanting so badly to pull her against me and bury my face in her neck and hair I could barely stand it. Shocked at the strength of my self-discipline, I somehow managed to curb that.

Lowering my head a bit closer to hers, the corner of my mouth curved upward as I said slowly, "You're not baking cookies. What were you up to?"

Arwyn glanced sideways at me a little nervously, but kept up the sassy act. "Not a thing." Her grin was still awfully cheeky.

Releasing the curl, I gently pushed her hair away from her right ear and off of her shoulder, grazing her neck with my fingertips. She stiffened the slightest bit and drew a breath as I moved in ever closer and placed my mouth by her ear.

My voice sounded huskier than usual as I said quietly with a smug smile, "I'll make a deal with you. Tell me what Jay knows, and I won't tell everyone that you're the prankster."

I thought I had her right where I wanted her, but little did I know it was the other way around. When she placed her warm palm lightly on my abdomen, causing a hitch in my breath, I expected her to push me away reprovingly.

Instead, she slid her open hand agonizingly slowly up to the middle of my chest, sending a shock like electricity through my entire body, stimulating every nerve ending.

Closing my eyes, I knew she could feel my heart slamming against her palm when she turned her face toward mine. Her soft lips brushed against my cheek at the corner of my mouth. I tried to meet them with my own, but she eluded me and breathed in my ear, "Umm…No deal."

My knees nearly buckled.

I now had both hands on the door on either side of Arwyn as I held myself up, my head still bowed by hers with our cheeks touching, my breath coming faster than I intended. I was standing so close to her, I could feel her warmth along the length of my body, making me ache.

How was it that a simple touch from this woman had sapped my enormous strength, leaving me trembling and weak? "Arwyn…I…"

"Kai," she whispered as her other hand joined the first on my chest.

"What?!" My head snapped up as I was jolted back to reality at the inopportune mention of my brother's name. _My name is __**Cole**__, dammit!_ I thought irately. How could she be thinking about _him_?!

Gently pushing me back a touch, I was calmed immediately as she explained breathlessly, "He's coming. Probably already in the bunkroom." Her eyes were dark, her face holding what I thought was a look of longing and regret.

As if on cue, there was knocking on the other side of the door, followed by Kai's questioning voice, "Cole? Are you talking to yourself in there? That's cool with me, but just a little strange for you." _Seriously? Was he sent by Sensei?_

Pushing off of the door, I forced myself to back away from Arwyn, our eyes fixed on each other. "Every damn time…," I muttered. She cocked her head and shrugged a shoulder with her mouth set in a line.

Better answer him. "No problem, Kai. Just coming out," I said loudly as I turned my back to her, grabbed my shirt from the floor, slipped it on, and retied my drawstring_. If I can walk straight_.

Looking hopefully at Arwyn over my shoulder I asked, "Are you sure you'd rather I exposed you than just tell me the secret?"

She shrugged again, smiling a little while raising an eyebrow. "Whatever. But if you don't, how will you explain our being in the bathroom together?" She had a point there.

Exhaling audibly, I stepped past her and through the door into the bunkroom, hoping the flush had left my countenance. Kai stood there, waiting for the shower, an inquisitive look on his face. "Everything okay in there?"

"Yeah. I caught the prankster," I admitted reluctantly as I pulled the door partially closed behind me.

"What?! Is he in the bathroom? Who the heck is it?" he demanded as Jay and Zane walked into the bunkroom behind him, narrowing the list of suspects.

Not really wanting to throw Arwyn to the wolves, but knowing I couldn't get her out of there any other way, I took a deep breath and prepared to unveil our tormentor.

Behind me, I heard Jay say, "I will just die if Sensei walks out of there!"

Opening the door, I leaned into the bathroom to find Arwyn standing near the toilet, comparing the width of her hips to the diameter of the round porthole window over the tank.

Guessing what she was considering, I reached her in three long steps. "You can't go out the window! Get over here!" I ordered, taking her by the arm to pull her into the bunkroom. She didn't resist, only cast her eyes grudgingly one last time at the window. As if…We weren't even over water.

Kai's expression was one of disbelief when we entered the bunkroom. "Arwyn? You? But…what were you two doing in the bathroom?" His smirk spoke volumes. Jay and Zane's reactions were much the same. Well, Zane, not so much.

"I found her hiding in the shower after doing who knows what," I answered quickly, giving Arwyn a mock stern look.

"I have not admitted, nor will I admit, to anything!" Arwyn insisted adamantly with a glint of granite in her brown eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

Obviously miffed, Kai spouted, "Seriously? _You_ put the petroleum jelly in my helmet? That took forever to wash out of my hair, not to mention the time it took Cole to clean my helmet!" Shaking his finger at her, he added, "And thanks a lot for the bonus of hiding the shampoo!"

Arwyn gave herself away with a roll of her eyes and a wave of dismissal. "Eh, look at it as spring cleaning. Did you smell that thing? It was time."

Not seeing the humor in it all, the hothead growled in frustration while shaking his fists by his sides. "Aagghhh! I can't even _pound_ you for that!"

With her hands back on her hips, Arwyn stepped toward him with a challenging glare. "Well, you could _**try**_…"

Meeting her halfway until their foreheads were nearly touching, Kai grinned vengefully. "Aren't you worried about retaliation?"

"Bring it," she dared him with a sneer. Jay was excitedly goading them on the sidelines, while Zane stretched out on his bunk with his hands behind his head, grinning at the spectacle.

Deciding to intervene before this became hand-to-hand combat, I thrust an arm between them, maneuvering the Green Ninja safely away from the fireball. "Oh-kay, this isn't how we play nice."

"Aw, come on!" Jay exclaimed with disappointment. "I wanted to see Kai get his tail kicked!"

"I'll kick yours right now!" Kai snapped.

"Save it for the next sparring match," I reproved him with a frown.

Zane chuckled lightly from his bunk. "Sofiya said it was probably you, Arwyn. You pulled the egg thing on her a couple of years ago."

She scowled at his remark. "Nuts! I forgot about that one!"

_Which reminds me_…Grabbing her by the shoulders, I turned her to face my admonishment. "You ruined my chance to do frittatas!"

Arwyn held out her hands in a gesture of entreaty. "I'm sorry! It wasn't supposed to be your day to cook!" Going back to Zane, she asked curiously, "Why didn't you rat me out?"

He shrugged coolly. "Eh. I thought I would let you have your fun. You were not harming anything." Sitting up, he continued, "Besides, it made Sofiya laugh to hear what you had been doing. I love to hear her laugh. And she misses you."

Her face clouded over briefly, and I suddenly realized that in the four and a half weeks she had been on the _Bounty,_ Arwyn had only met with her friend once, and she had not seen her parents at all. She obviously missed them all, too.

Totally oblivious to her sudden slump, Kai was still smoldering. "You deserve payback for aggravating us so much!"

Shaking off her melancholy, Arwyn objected with fervor. "Excuse me, but this was to get you all back for leaving me…," she put on the brakes with a sly grin. "Oops, did I say that out loud? I meant, it was to lighten the mood around here after the battle the other night."

I looked down at her as she smiled sweetly around the room, then up at me. "Uh, huh." At least I now knew for certain why she'd done it. "Maybe you should go ahead and do something for Kai, since you pissed him off the most, just to dampen the flames," I suggested. _And keep him off my back_…

Rolling her eyes and feigning boredom, Arwyn responded, "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"You're cleaning our bathroom for me…," Kai stated with a conniving look.

"I've been in there. I'm not scared," Arwyn retorted.

"…in a week. And you will be," he finished with an amused sneer.

As she gave him a dirty look with little fear, I shook my head and went to grab a towel and toiletries from the bathroom. Starting for the hallway, and hauling Arwyn by the arm behind me, I announced to the guys, "I'll go to the other bathroom while you three clean up in here."

Once we were in the passageway, I checked out Arwyn in my peripheral vision as I headed for the bathroom and she for her room. "At what point were you going to make your presence known to me in the bathroom?"

Her step faltered, like she was not anticipating that question. "Umm…"

Kai's slightly muted voice sounded from the direction of the bunkroom. "Ugh! She covered the toilet seat with conditioner!" He paused as I gave her a little frown. "At least I _hope_ that's conditioner!"

She smiled back at me enigmatically. "Not a minute too soon."

As she escaped into her bedroom, I pondered the meaning of her answer a moment before I headed into the bathroom wondering if I needed to apologize for anything and hoping the shower had a 'frigid' setting.

**A/N: I had a whole different ending written out with the honorable Cole apologizing for his 'inappropriate behavior', but it didn't sound quite right for his evolving mindset. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Also, did anyone catch the significance of the times of the set alarms? If not, you'd have to refer way back to Ch. 3. **

**Please leave a note to help my insecurities, and have a terrific week! **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I only own my OCs. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my previous chapter! XD (It would be AWESOME if more readers shot me a line :) I know this is a short chappie, but it's taking me a while to wrap things up, and I just HAD to put something out (don't need any one forgetting about Arwyn and Cole!). Read and enjoy!**

**Chapter 24**

****Arwyn's POV**

_Holy cow. What just happened? _I leaned back against the bedroom door and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. Dazedly, I stared into space, lost in thought about how it had been with Cole a few minutes ago.

He was already _**sooo**_ hot! But in nothing but his black gi pants, which had barely stayed up on his hips, he had unknowingly been infinitely more so as he stood there with his magnificent upper body on full display, running a hand through that thick, ebony shag.

His look had been confident and smoldering, his manner gentle, but commanding, his lips so full and inviting…The feeling of his earth element had been intense and palpable, all-enveloping, but not overwhelming.

I, on the other hand, had had trouble breathing, thinking, and standing up straight. It took all of my focus to keep the trembling of my body from being heard in my voice. Then his warm breath on my ear and neck had begun my downward slide…

The pace of his racing heartbeat under my hand had matched my own. And when he was so close, his cheek caressing mine, our torsos and thighs brushing, with only a single layer of cloth between us, I had felt I was on the verge of collapsing against him.

And then along came Kai's intrusive heat to rescue Cole.

_What did I almost do?_ I knew what I had _wanted_ to do, and it was far from innocent! The only reason I didn't latch onto our sexy leader and refuse to let go back there was that I knew one of the guys was going to be banging on the door wanting the shower.

_He wanted to kiss me! Why didn't I at __**least**__ do that? _I lamented_. _A rational and honest answer popped up. _Because, if you __**had**__, you would have tackled him to the floor, and Kai would have had to break things up with a bucket of water!_ _Or two_.

Drawing up my legs, I hugged them and dropped my forehead to my knees. I had almost done something I probably would have been ashamed of doing later.

_What would have been wrong with that? He wanted you! It was __**so**__ obvious…in more ways than one! And it's __**not **__like you don't want him! _stormed my id._ Just go get him!_ _Take what you want! _

_Yes, he wanted you, but he's a __**guy**__! He saw an opportunity, and he was nearly naked, and you weren't discouraging him! At __**all**__! _My superego wagged a finger_. Of __**course,**__ he was going to try that! It __**doesn't**__ mean that you mean__anything to him! And __**you**__ don't need to be acting like…__**that**__!_

_Well, maybe you could act a __**little**__ 'like that'. One kiss wouldn't have been __**so**__ bad, _reasoned my ego. _Maybe he would have told you how he felt, one way or the other. You could have kept things under control. No problem._

_Oh, get real and refer to the bucket scenario again, _retorted the superego.

I was getting a headache. And I needed to get a grip on myself. But preferably one on Cole… _Stop it, Arwyn!_

At suppertime, Cole made it to the table before I did, rising and giving me a warm and sensual smile when I arrived. Well, to be honest, all of his smiles seemed warm and sensual to me. Unless he was bearing down on me during training. Or telling me I couldn't do something I wanted to do since it wasn't safe for me, blah, blah, blah.

He had little to say throughout the meal and spent a lot of time guardedly cutting his eyes at Sensei Wu as though our wise mentor knew about our provocative encounter. Surely he couldn't know _everything _that happened on this ship? That could definitely put a damper on any fun in the future.

One topic of conversation during supper was my exposure as the persecutor of the ninja team. Although I hoped I could see a smile under that mustache, Chichi still chewed me in front of everyone about harassing my brothers, even if I thought it was justified.

He was quick to remind me, however, that it was not, and that they had been doing their jobs by trying to insure my safety. _Yeah, that worked out real well._

Snickering to myself, I thought about how my teacher would have chewed me out much more vigorously if he had known how badly I craved to harass Cole.

When he was done, I glanced self-consciously around the table at the witnesses to my upbraiding. Nya and Lloyd didn't seem to quite understand why I was getting the scolding, but the other four knew very well how I'd been bucking being sheltered from the beginning.

I sincerely wanted to smack Kai and Jay for the way they gloated afterward, and let them know with a piercing, icy glare. They simply returned this in an appropriate, mature way by sticking their tongues out at me.

Appearing uncomfortable, Zane had a sympathetic expression, but Cole refused to look up altogether, apparently finding the food on his plate extremely interesting. He was either avoiding another argument like the first we'd had in the bridge, or still feeling guilty for the Serpentine incident.

As soon as supper was over, Lloyd dragged out the chessboard, and he and I fought over it until bedtime. With Nya keeping score, the rest of the team entertained themselves with a video-party-game tournament, but Cole was quickly eliminated.

According to Zane's observations, he didn't seem to be very focused. After our meeting in the bathroom, neither was I.

At the end of the evening, when Cole said we needed to call it a night, everyone headed to their respective sleeping quarters. Although I was dog-tired from the long day of training, I dragged my feet on the way to mine, hoping I could see him for a moment before we retired.

He was last out of the game room and, to my delight, headed my way once he saw that all of his brothers had made it into the bunkroom. When he wordlessly met me at my door with a little half-smile, I expected him to at least join me in the room, but he hung back uneasily at the threshold.

Surveying him briefly, I flopped onto the bed and propped myself on an elbow on my side. "Would you like to come in and talk a minute?" I tried to sound as casual as possible while teasingly patting the mattress. _I dare you…_

Cole's eyes skimmed over my reclining form before he swallowed, focused on the wall behind me, and answered, "Uh…no…I just want to let you know that, uh… I'm so-." He stopped, shaking his head the slightest bit, and took a breath. "I mean, I need to…uh…apologize…for what happened." I noticed his element seemed a little heavy at the moment.

_What the hell?_ Hoping I didn't look or sound disappointed, I asked, "Um…why?"

He dropped his head a bit, letting his bangs swing over his eyes. "Because I acted no better than Jin Kita…or that guy in Miyagi…"

_Ugh. _My brow furrowed at the mention of dim-witted demons from my past. "Keiji?" I supplied helpfully.

Cole's head came up quickly, his eyes like flint. "Keiji," he repeated, as though filing the information away. Nodding once and tensing his jaw, he continued, "Right. I took advantage of a situation, and I shouldn't have. I almost…took advantage of you. I don't want to be in the same category." He stepped backward into the hallway.

_Excuse me, 'took advantage'? _Sitting up on the bed, I tried to argue. "I beg to differ. You're not even close…," but he didn't give me a chance to get any further.

"Maybe we'll talk more about this tomorrow." Bringing his fingers up in a little wave, he produced a small smile. "I need to speak with Sensei before he goes to bed. Sleep well."

And that was it as he moved out of the doorway and left me staring into the dark, empty corridor. No explanation such as his being so attracted to me he couldn't control himself, just that it was a situation of which he took advantage.

_Ohmigod, is he saying it wasn't __**me**__ at all? That it was just an opportunity for him? The right place at the right time? _

I felt like I couldn't move for a minute. I just sat there on the side of the mattress, stunned. What was that sound? My world imploding? My heart breaking? My dreams of being with Cole being dashed at the craggy bottom of a cliff?

What an idiot I was. He was destined to be just the F-word to me. A frickin' friend.

Grabbing my pillow, I held it tightly over my face, muting my scream with the soft, stuffed head rest. Finally running out of breath and feeling no better, I threw it and sprang off of the bed.

I gripped the metal door handle hard when I reached it, feeling it give a little more than usual under my hand, and cocked back, preparing to slam the door through the frame.

Stopping myself in mid-swing, I closed my eyes. _A tantrum is not going to help. Even if he doesn't feel about you the way you do about him, at least he cares enough to apologize for what he felt may have been unwelcome and inappropriate. Even if he's dead wrong. _I smiled sadly, resting my forehead against the smooth wood of the door. He was so sweet and considerate like that.

In no way was I angry with him. It wasn't his fault if he had no feelings for me. I was pissed with fate for making me fall hopelessly in love with the man of my dreams when it was evidently not going to be reciprocated.

Willing myself to calm down, determined that no tears would be shed over this, I figuratively patted myself on the back for wisely not giving in to Jay's insistent advice and telling him how I felt long ago, thereby making matters worse. _Once bitten, twice shy._

But how was I possibly going to face him in the morning, knowing we apparently had no future together other than one as teammates? How was I going to function living with him every day, loving him and not having him return my feelings? Or, worse yet, watching him find someone else? What kind of life was this going to be?

_Stop it, stop it, STOP IT! _Fighting to shut down my mind, I gripped my head as though I felt it would explode, then felt the tell-tale sign of what I considered weakness. A damned tear made it past my lashes and fell to the floor. I gave up.

Quietly closing the door and flipping the light switch to 'off', I cloaked myself, and my pain, in darkness.

**A/N: In case anyone is having anxiety attacks over the future of Ninjago, the TV show, or is wondering what in the heck the new symbols on their lapels mean, refer to a couple of tidbits I posted at the bottom of my profile page. THEY WILL CONTINUE! YYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY! Reward me with a review! It's like puppy treats to a malamute! Ahwoooo!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I only own my OCs! Hope you read and enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 25**

****Arwyn's POV**

It's curious how the daylight usually makes problems from the previous night seem not quite as bad. However, when you get up before the chickens, you don't have that to help your mood. Such was my state when I joined everyone for breakfast with my slightly puffy eyes.

In opposition to mine, Cole's mood was sunny and bright. In fact, his attitude was making me a bit ill as he happily greeted me at the table with a cup of coffee fixed just the way I liked it. _Hmmph_. _He notices stuff like that?_

I tried to be better at concealing my feelings, but I usually tended to have a hard time doing that when I was upset, so I just mumbled my thanks and sat to wait my turn to serve myself. I wondered how he could be so freakin' cheery when I had pretty much lost my hope of being with him.

He would have had to have been blind not to have picked up on my mood. "Arwyn, what's bothering you this morning?" he asked worriedly, pausing in his slathering of a biscuit with blackberry jam.

"Nothing, not a thing," I tried to lie convincingly and fabricated a smile as I added a scoop of scrambled eggs to my plate. "I just didn't sleep very well." That wasn't a lie.

He frowned a bit. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that doesn't mess up your whole day."

_Oh, that's already been taken care of. _"I'm sure I'll manage. No need to worry about me." He didn't give the impression of being satisfied with my response as his brows knitted. _Oh, well._

I glimpsed Chichi on my left meditatively sipping his oolong with bergamot while he silently observed me over the rim of his cup, his brow furrowed. _What the heck is he seeing?!_

Casting my eyes down at my plate, I tried to think of something that I could do to make myself feel better as Cole and the others chatted quietly, gradually waking up over their breakfasts.

One thing that I thought might help me, at least for the time being, was our morning run since it tended to relieve stress, get rid of nervous energy, and make me feel better about myself. When we were running, I could go over things that were on my mind if the guys weren't being chatty, or completely empty my consciousness and just listen to them breathe.

It was especially enjoyable the last couple of days since Sensei had ordered the _Bounty_ moved northwest of our original location to an area west of Ninjago City near the edge of the Sea of Sand. A mixed forest of hardwoods and evergreens began near our docking point.

I had been so excited to see trees! I had grown up on the northern edge of the Forest of Tranquility and missed the cool, verdant haven. And I hated the desert.

We were still less than an hour from Ninjago City, so obtaining supplies was not hindered by our change of scenery, and Zane had not objected, since he could still easily visit Sofiya. God _forbid_ he should not be able to touch her for more than twenty-four hours!

I was also hoping that we may soon have an opportunity for her to be allowed to come for a visit, or that I could at least get a break from my floating wooden stockade to meet her.

When we had docked in the new spot the day before yesterday, or 'All Pranks Day', Cole had taken the team on a short scouting mission to check the area for potential problems. And, of course, although I protested in vain, he insisted I stay behind.

I had hung over the starboard railing the entire time they were gone, staring at the enchanting woodland, yearning to slip into the shaded undergrowth amongst the tall, rough tree trunks and glory in being beneath the sheltering canopy.

Once they had come back from scouting, knowing I was dying to get into the forest, Cole had suggested we all go back for a short walk along an animal trail they had come across on the periphery of the wooded land. I would have loved to have kissed him for that! Actually, I'd just love to kiss him…

When we had gotten down there, it had been so comforting to me to smell the tangy pine and earthy humus, hear the engaging sounds of birdsong and small, skittering animals, and see the dazzling mosaic created by sunbeams cutting through the treetops. It had been absolutely divine!

We had only been out there for little more than half an hour, when Cole said it was time to return to the ship. As usual, the guys had ignored me when I informed them that I was not ready to leave the lush sanctuary.

So I had decided to make my stand in the center of the trail. "Please, couldn't we stay just a few minutes longer?" I implored Cole with the saddest puppy-dog eyes I could muster.

Barely giving me a second glance, Cole had noted the position of the sun, then checked his comlink watch, and shook his head as Jay, Kai, and Zane started back up the trace. "There're only a couple of hours of daylight left, we still have chores to do before suppertime, and I'm cooking tonight. We need to get back now."

Peeved, I had narrowed my eyes at him and spun on my heel in the opposite direction, continuing down the footpath, while sending obstinately over my shoulder, "Well, I'm not ready to go yet."

He had stepped up quickly behind me, his boots crunching in the fallen twigs and leaves. "And I'm not arguing," was all he had said before I felt his firm hand on my arm, jerking me to a standstill, and whirling me around to face him.

I had caught a glimpse of the determined look in his eyes, accompanied by the upward curve of one corner of his mouth, a split-second before he ducked down and pulled me over his right shoulder. Straightening as he lifted me with ease, he quickly and effortlessly trotted to catch up to the other turncoats.

Startled, I dangled over his muscular, unarmored shoulder a moment as I stared at his equally-muscular, black-clad derriere, seeing the ground moving under us. Realizing suddenly that I was being handled like a sack of rice, I struggled to right myself and slide off of his shoulder, while protesting huffily, "Put me down _now, _you brute! I can walk, you know!"

He only tightened his grip more securely where his right arm held my thighs. "Oh, what, so you can run in the other direction again, I suppose?" he countered, barely panting as he loped after the guys.

_How dare he…!_ I stopped struggling, lifted the hem of his jacket, and grabbed the waistband of his pants with one hand while reaching for his _Nice! Purple boxer briefs!_ with the other. "Arwyn, no wedgies," he warned with an unamused tone.

_That's what **you **think!_ Chuckling wickedly, I snatched the elastic of his glute-hugging boxer briefs, pulling it away from his skin, and catching a tantalizing glimpse of his firm, round bottom. _OMG!_

"Arwyn! No!" Screeching to a stop in the trail did him no good as I pulled hard and fast on my fistful of soft, purple fabric. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why did you have to go and do that?!" he yelled as he reached back with his left hand, attempting to grab my offending one.

Not releasing my hold on his unmentionables, I tried swatting his grasping hand away with my free one, but he kept intruding, so I finally grabbed his arm by the wrist, and held on tight.

So there we were. He held me securely by the thighs over his right shoulder with his arm while I held his undies even more securely in my left hand. My right hand gripped his left wrist behind his waist, and, although he struggled to free himself, I wasn't letting go. _Hmm, I must be getting stronger to be able to restrain the Master of Earth…_

Squirming in his uncomfortable predicament, Cole barked at me as I laughed hysterically. "Arwyn, let go! Let go of my shorts! NOW!"

Taking a breath, I yelled back, "Not unless you put me down!"

"I'm not putting you down to run off! You're _hur_-ting me! Let go!"

"Oh, poor baby! Put me down!" I pulled a little harder on the stretchy material.

He writhed more, turning in a circle in the path. "Arwyn! Let go, _or else_!"

"Or else, what?!" I challenged, twisting his arm behind him a bit more just to increase his annoyance.

I had heard the collective snickering of the rest of the team who had joined us as Cole had danced his jig. Now I could see their boots as they surrounded us on the trail, laughing merrily.

Cole stopped his wriggling and commanded, "Kai!"

_Kai?_ I thought right before I felt a hard, stinging blow full on my left buttock. "OWW!" I yelled out, reflexively straightening up and releasing Cole's wrist and his briefs at the same time.

Before I knew it, I was suddenly standing on my own two feet, staring with surprise into the reddened face of an irate and scowling ninja leader. Howls of laughter were coming from our red, white, and blue brothers standing nearby.

From between gritted teeth, Cole hissed at me with a nasty sneer, "You had better run for that ship like you just stole something!" as he reached behind him to jerk his wadded lingerie from his fine tush.

Believe me, I beat even Jay to that anchor chain.

Overnight, however, I had gotten my revenge by getting them all up earlier than usual with my two-alarm prank.

The next morning after breakfast, we had returned to the woods and run the winding path, going farther than the afternoon previously. The trail cut deeper into the immense copse, sending us over low rises, across gurgling rills, and around marshy spots, as we ducked under hanging branches and jumped over fallen trees. It was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time!

At one point, as I was following Jay and Zane, I had screeched to a sudden halt, causing Kai to nearly run over me, while Cole ran into him. The two behind me had naturally reacted with annoyance.

We had come upon a small meadow just larger than the _Bounty's_ main deck, filled with dew-covered grasses and ferns, with a scattering of purple violets and yellow wild flowers here and there. The sun's first golden rays slanted through the trees of the surrounding forest, casting a bewitching glow over the idyllic scene.

"This …is so beautiful," I murmured as I stood on the edge of the mesmerizing glade with an intense sense of awe and homesickness. When I turned to Cole, he was staring out over the clearing with a far-away look, his face more flushed than it usually was during a run. "Can we stay here a while?"

"Uh…" He faced away from me and his other teammates, ran a hand through his sweat-dampened locks, and, to my disappointment, mumbled, "No, we need to finish our run and get back to the _Bounty_. We'll run by here again tomorrow." I hoped he could feel my glare burning into the back of his head.

That had been yesterday, on the morning before the 'bathroom incident'. Now I was ready to go out there again, and, hopefully, get them to stay a little longer. I seriously needed some soul-soothing.

As breakfast came to an end, Sensei stood from his seated position and looked at everyone seated at the table with a crinkle around his eyes and announced, "You've all been working so hard without complaining, that I believe it is time you had a break."

His eyes rested on the ninja leader as he continued, "Today will be one of leisure for you all. I want you off of this ship and in Ninjago City or elsewhere!"

A round of cheers sounded from everyone at the table, except for Cole who had a small, satisfied smile and, obviously, me. Right away, everyone started making plans for what they wanted to accomplish between now and suppertime.

_Whoopee. Now I have to go make nice with this mood while everyone enjoys a day in the city. Maybe I can at least go cry on Sofiya's shoulder while I'm there. __**If**__ I can pry her away from __**Zane**__. _I grimaced_. Like I need to be around a blissful couple in love right now._

Keeping things under control, Cole quickly reminded the group that any chores pending needed to be taken care of first. I didn't have anything left over from yesterday, so I knew what I needed and wanted to do before we left.

As we all picked up our plates to take them to the kitchen, I approached Cole. "I'd really like to take a run in the woods before we leave. Do you think we could do that?"

He immediately thwarted my plans when he answered with regret, "I'm sorry, Arwyn, but I have a couple of things to take care of before we can go. I don't think we'll have time. We'll definitely go tomorrow morning, though." Patting me on the shoulder encouragingly, he turned to go into the kitchen.

"I need to go _now_, not tomorrow," I grumbled in a low voice as I followed him to the sink.

Two minutes later, I was pestering Kai as he gathered the garbage from various trash receptacles. "Are you kidding, Arwyn? Running on a day we don't have to train? I don't _think_ so!" He regarded me skeptically. "Besides, I have this to do, then I'm getting ready to get out of here. You should be doing the same." I didn't answer him as I grumpily stomped away.

Zane and Jay gave me the same types of excuses when I requested the pleasure of their presences on the forest trail, sending my already-low mood into blacker depths. I think it was at that point that something inside me snapped.

_That's it. That's frickin' it! I'm tired of having no freedom and not being able to do things that __**I**__ want to do when __**I **__want to do them! I'm sick of having to ask for permission and getting turned down! I feel like a freakin' prisoner in a stupid tower, and not even the royal kind!_ _And, after last night, I can forget about my Prince Charming rescuing me when he's actually just my chief jailer!_

I made my way up to the main deck and rebelliously eyed the nearby forest, the treetops golden with the rising sun. After a moment, I said out loud, "I'm going running."

Hurrying up to the bridge while trying to seem nonchalant, I found Nya stationed there, working on a confusing-looking jumble of metal bits and pieces. I sidled over to her while checking out the quiet radar. "Hey, Nya, whatcha doin'? Why aren't you getting ready to go to Ninjago City?"

Looking up from her project, she replied amiably, "I'm just working on a prototype for a modification to my samurai suit. I had this awesome idea hit me at breakfast and wanted to try something before getting ready to leave."

"Really?" I responded dubiously, feeling more than a little inadequate in that department, as I watched her place the baffling pieces together while doing a little soldering here and there. Truth be told, I was so mechanically–disinclined that there were times when I felt I could barely manage a plastic building-brick set.

"Looks… interesting," I started. "Um, will you be in here for the next half hour or so?"

"Oh, yeah! It'll be at least that long before I finish with this and go change to head out." She turned her attention to a part that tumbled to the floor.

"So-o…you'll also be keeping an eye on the radar?" I inquired hopefully.

Retrieving the fallen piece, she sighed, "As usual."

'Twas all I needed to know. "Okay, cool! Uh, there's something I need to do, so I'll get out of your hair, and see you later!" I said quickly as I scurried out of the bridge and made for below deck.

Everyone else was also taking care of business below, so when I ran back up to the main deck less than five minutes later, I didn't even bother to try to hide. In my tank top, fitted capris, and trail-running shoes, with a Shuriken of Ice strapped to each upper arm, I made for the anchor chain and descended without hesitation.

Dropping from a height of about ten feet, I landed on the sand running swiftly and smoothly for the forested border, not slowing down until I hit the trail. Filled with elation at my moment of freedom, I prepared to enjoy my run in the forest, knowing they couldn't stop me now.

****Cole's POV**

_That should do it_, I thought with satisfaction as I turned off the vacuum cleaner and surveyed the game room. _And if Jay and Lloyd weren't such pigs with their snacks, this wouldn't have taken as long as it did. Maybe I should ban eating in the game room…Nah, I like to eat in here, too._

Now that this was done, I could go change into a T-shirt and jeans, gather Arwyn and the others, and we could take off for Ninjago City.

Winding the cord around its holder on the vacuum, I thought about the abbreviated apology I had tried to stammer out to Arwyn the night before for nearly molesting her in the guys' bathroom.

Although I wasn't _sorry _for what had happened, or almost happened, since I wanted _badly _to be with her, I had wanted to let her know that I wasn't meaning to be like Kita or Keiji, selfishly aiming to take whatever I could get from her. I wanted _her_. I wasn't sure how she had taken that, but I had to offer it.

And as for Keiji… Now I had a name. When I was able to get over to Miyagi, I intended to look him up. I didn't think there was a statute of limitations on breaking someone's heart to the point where they had trouble trusting anyone else, so he would be fair game.

During my awkward apology, I got interrupted when I noticed the sliver of light under Sensei's door go out, and had to cut things short with Arwyn. I had wanted to present him with my request that we all get a day off. We needed a break, and I knew it was time for Arwyn to visit Sofiya.

It was time for her to see her parents, too, but Sensei wasn't ready to leave the area, and Arwyn hadn't asked to invite them here, so I could only wait and see.

Anyway, I was planning on taking her to Ninjago City for a little R&R, visiting Sofiya, and having lunch in a nice café, or picking up stuff for a picnic in the park, if she preferred.

I really wanted to tell her how I felt about her as soon as possible, but I didn't want to do it publicly, just in case she didn't respond the way I hoped she would.

That's why I was also planning to take her this evening before sundown to the forest glade we had found. She was enamored with the place, and I had had a _great_ dream in a similar setting, so I felt it would be the perfect spot to bare my heart and soul.

And if she chose to stomp on my heart, I could always bury it next to the violets.

Rolling the vacuum down the hall to the cleaning-supply closet, I noted the patter of smaller running feet before I saw Lloyd coming toward me. "Cole! Is it okay if I go with you to Ninjago City? Huh? Please?" He bounced slightly up and down in front of me, like he was doing the I-gotta-pee dance. The pleading tone in his voice showed on his face. "Uncle said it's fine with him if it's alright with you!"

I wasn't very keen on that idea and cringed inwardly. Not because of Lloyd personally, but a tag-along would definitely throw a wrench in the gears as far as my plans with Arwyn were concerned. _Thanks a lot, Sensei Wu_.

Opening the closet door between us, I performed a silent scream as I returned the vacuum to its place, then closed the door and faced Lloyd with a smile. "Uh, sure, no problem." I was thinking fast for an alternative. "But if you come, prepare to possibly get stuck with Kai if I need to do something alone, okay?" Heh.

The boy looked at me with a little uncertainty, but responded slowly, "Oh-kay. So long as I can come." Ah, little brothers.

"I intend to leave in about thirty minutes, so you'd better be ready," I informed him as he ran past me to the bunkroom. "No problem! I'll be ready in five minutes!" he answered as the door swung shut.

Continuing along the passageway to Arwyn's room, I thought about how her mood this morning seemed a little out-of-character and hoped that a day in Ninjago City would help improve it. I didn't need anything to lower my odds when I talked to her this evening.

Knocking on her door, I quietly called her name, but, getting no response, I pushed the door open to find the room in a state of disarray, which was not like her. The bed was unmade, and a drawer hung open from the chest of drawers with clothes hanging from it. Her evergreen jacket, pants, and fitted undershirt, as well as her boots, were scattered over the bed and floor.

_Hmm…Apparently she's changed already. And was in a big hurry_. Was she waiting on the main deck? After checking the infirmary, I hopped up the stairs to let her know I would only be a few more minutes, then we could leave, although it was still really early by city standards.

Not seeing her anywhere, I was about to go back down to search for her when I looked up to the quarterdeck and spotted Nya and Zane through the prow-facing windows of the bridge. Maybe Arwyn was hanging out with them up there.

After taking the steps to the quarterdeck two at a time, I arrived at the door of the bridge where I found Nya and Zane standing alone, their backs to me as they studied the radar. Nya was saying, "…Cole doesn't need to know about this."

Zane nodded. "I agree. She is on the way back already. I would prefer not to tell him if we do not have to do so."

My brows knit in question right before I spied the falcon-view screen next to the radar with its single blip. There was a bird's-eye view of Arwyn running happily along the forest trail…_alone_. She lifted her head and smiled, dodged a branch, and tossed a little wave in the falcon's direction as it approached her from the front, then soared over her head.

"_Son of a __**bitch!**__"_ I blurted loudly, causing Nya and Zane to whirl to face me in alarm. "Oh, crud," I heard Nya mutter as I stared in livid disbelief at the rectangular monitor. It suddenly went black, and I shifted my gaze to my guilty-looking, nindroid brother. "Put it _back_ on," I ordered firmly through gritted teeth. My good mood was definitely shot to hell.

Raising a hand in an effort to settle me down, Zane began quickly, "Cole, we…"

"_Now_, Zane!" I barked more insistently. Without further argument, the screen lit up again with Arwyn's leaping figure clearing a narrow gully as the falcon approached from her left, obviously circling overhead.

Keeping my eyes on the monitor, I quizzed her accomplices. "How long has she been out? And how long have you known about this?" The two shared a furtive glance.

Nya spoke first. "She's probably been gone less than thirty minutes. It was about that long ago that she came up here and asked if I would be in the bridge awhile."

"When I came in approximately seven minutes ago, I noted the non-threatening movement on the radar. Nya remembered her conversation with Arwyn at that time, and I sent the falcon out to meet her." He shuffled, obviously uncomfortable with this. "I could see she was on the way home, and she has my shurikens. I did not think it was necessary to…"

Not letting him finish, I spun abruptly toward the door and strode determinedly for the quarterdeck railing. Reaching it, I gripped it hard and bellowed for Jay. Within seconds, he was on the main deck, saluting me energetically with a grin. "You rang, skipper?"

I ignored his antics. "Arwyn is alone on the north leg of the trail! Go get her!" I demanded, still gripping the railing.

He assumed a quizzical look, then, oddly, cocked an eyebrow and grinned again. "'Alone', you say! Are you sure _you _don't want to go…?"

_What the…?_ "You're the fastest runner, and I'm too upset right now to talk to her! _Go!_"

"Why is she alone?" he asked with a little confusion as he trotted toward the starboard railing.

"Just get her…and bring her back…as soon as possible," I growled slowly, running a hand through my hair.

He gestured to his floral-print camp shirt and cargo shorts. "Okay, but I was all ready…" Seeing the look on my face, he thought better of finishing his comment and slid wordlessly over the railing to begin the descent on the anchor chain.

Zane met me as I watched Jay sprint across the sandy expanse between the _Bounty_ and the wooded land. "Cole, be calm, and try to understand why she may have done this," he said soothingly. "She struggles with her loss of independence and …"

Swiveling in his direction and gesturing emphatically, I burst out, "I _know_ this, Zane! I've known this from the moment she was told she had to be protected, on the first night we met! But it still remains that she has to be guarded, and she is _blatantly_ defying us, putting herself at risk, and disregarding the rules!"

Narrowing his icy-blue gaze at me, my brother in white gave me the impression that he felt I was at fault for reacting in such a way. As Nya appeared at his side, I lowered my voice and leveled a question at him, pointing a finger at his chest. "How would _you_ react if that was Sofiya out there?"

Zane's eyes barely flickered, even as Nya's widened at the fact that I was insinuating a personal concern for Arwyn. "Just as you are doing now," he answered quietly, fully understanding my meaning.

**A/N: (I know you're thinking, "She said this was gonna end a couple of chapters ago." Well, I'm finding more to write! Hope that's OK and nobody's getting too bored yet!) Review, please! Puppy's still hungry! *woof***


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: *Bowing deeply* I sincerely apologize for that last nonchapter entry! I was clueless, and I will not be conveying information like that again! I had just thought this chapter would take longer to get up, and I wanted to put in the other stuff! I AM SO SORRY!  
**

**Thank you to everyone who is still reading and who has stuck with me this far! And I am so grateful to those who continue to encourage me and review, especially birthdaypi, HersheyChocolates101, Iheartninjago2010, and NinjaNat0215!  
**

**Chapter 26**

****Arwyn's POV**

Deciding my run should be short, due to the circumstances, I had gone out less than two miles before I turned around in the trail and headed back toward the _Bounty_. I already figured someone had noted my absence, especially when I saw Merlin flying overhead.

_Wonder if Nya told on me, or Zane just happened to go looking for me?_ I considered as I smiled benignly and waved, resisting a rude hand gesture.

The sudden movement of a rabbit skipping across the path sent a little surge of adrenaline through me, forcing my attention back to my surroundings. I knew I had to remain alert for any potential danger, my trainers had taught me that much, so I had thought ahead to bring weapons and a mode of quick transportation with me, hence Zane's shurikens.

But I was letting my mind wander way too much, which was fine when I was encircled by my protectors. Now, however, was a bad time to become careless, and not a lot of forethought had gone into this rash decision.

_Oh, well, enjoy your solitary run, 'cause it may be your last one._

When I was less than a mile from the _Bounty_, I felt an extra pep in my step just before the static of the Master of Lightning made itself apparent. Rounding a little bend in the trail at the top of a low rise, I spotted him easily as he ran up the trace in a flowery, fuchsia-and-teal shirt. I had a good chuckle over his choice of running clothes.

Stopping on the path, Jay waited for me to reach him, then joined me in the direction of the ship, staying at my side when the path was wide enough. "Hey." I scrutinized his bright attire with a droll grin. "What's up?"

"Oh, I just heard you were out here _alone_, upsetting Cole, and breaking kind of a major rule." Odd how he could easily carry on a conversation while running. He also didn't wear his customary smile. "A rule which is, correct me if I'm wrong, one I think we covered during a discussion in the bridge a while back. In fact, it was 'the thing before the laundry'. Remember that one?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sue me," I dismissively said between breaths, watching the path for potential hazards.

He didn't pause. "This run could have waited. You didn't have to be so impatient…."

"I'm _not_ impatient!" I argued. "I'm aggravated and sick of not being able to do things…_pant_…when and how I want to for over a month! I've only been off the _Bounty_…_pant_…to run and go into Ninjago City _once_ since I changed my _entire life_!"

I had to pause in my rant to suck in a couple of deep breaths as I dodged a briar branch. "Do you have any idea what it's like to _not_ have a say in your own comings…_pant_… and goings unless you have an escort? I'm _shocked_ you guys let me go to the bathroom alone!" _Gasp!_

"I think we're all aware that you don't like it, but that's the way it has to be," Jay replied soberly, doing a one-eighty on a clear, straight portion of the trail so he was running backwards a step ahead of me. "Look at what just happened with the Serpentine a few days ago. We could have lost you!"

I wanted to trip him, but not just for showing off.

"As for getting off of the _Bounty_, we were about to do that, so that can't be one of your excuses for leaving just now," he continued with a thoughtful expression, still facing me. "Why else did you decide you had to come out here alone? What happened?"

Pausing a moment, I finally burst out with only part of the truth, "Nothing! I'm just tired of being nothing but the 'Green Ninja' to everyone! I want to be more than that!"

"What do you mean?" His brow creased as he pivoted on the trace to again face forward. "You know you're also our teammate, our friend, our sister…."

"You know that's not what I mean!" He knew that full well! Why was he annoyingly playing dumb? "You know I want to be more!"

Strangely for Jay, he didn't say anything for several running steps. Finally he offered sincerely, "I'm sorry that I can't give that to you, Arwyn. Not that I haven't tried…"

"Thanks, but I've beginning to believe that it's something I won't ever obtain," I admitted resignedly, catching sight of Merlin circling back.

"Maybe we should just come out with that secret, and get it over with. I sure it'll all work out."

"No! It'll only make matters worse," I insisted as we neared the edge of the forest and slowed to a fast walk. "Something makes me think I'd just be embarrassing myself if I did that now."

"You should try seduction," he said with the smallest of confident smiles as we stepped onto sandier ground.

I had to laugh at that. "Really, Jay? That makes a man easy to catch, but tough to hold."

Laughing lightly with me, he said, "Oh, if I were being seduced, I don't think _I'd_ put up much of a fight!" His laughter stopped all of a sudden, and he revised his remark, "Uh, I don't think _any_ man would!" His glance at the ship ahead of us seemed nervous.

Lifting my perspiring face toward the _Bounty_, which was still about three hundred feet away, I spied Cole, Zane, and Nya at the railing. My chest tightened when Cole retreated from the banister and disappeared from view.

"Just forget it," I advised him, lifting the hem of my tank and wiping my brow.

"Okay, whatever you want," my colorful companion sighed as we approached the ship. "Anyway, you know that when we get back, there's gonna be a lecture, Cole's really pissed! And then he's got to discipline you in some way for breaking the rules. We all get it if we don't stick to Sensei's orders."

I wasn't sure it mattered anymore if I upset Cole. Did I still have any chance with him? But there _was_ another issue at stake. "Like what kind of punishment?"

"Like extra training, missing a day off, or doing everyone's chores for a week," Jay listed with a little scowl. "Usually that sort of thing." Chuckling a bit, he added, "Kai did it several times in the beginning, and I screwed up once, but never again! Cole and Zane have _never_ broken the rules, though." _Goody-two-shoes times two._

I tried to act indifferent as I caught my breath, and my respiratory rate slowed. "Whatever." I was _so_ gonna regret having done this.

"Just remember that whatever he does, it's not to be mean," he quickly amended, doubtless trying to head off any knee-jerk reactions.

"I know. It's just because he's the leader. He's just my boss." Jadedly, I added, "That's all he'll ever be."

"He's nobody's boss!" Jay disagreed insistently. "But rules are rules, and whatever he does, I'm backing him!" He made his point with a finger in my direction. "You can't keep taking risks like this."

"I know, already!" I snapped as I watched him pop a small handful of berries into his mouth. "Where'd you get those, and why aren't you sharing?"

Chewing happily, he informed me, "I'm not sharing. You have to pick your own, like a booger."

Grimacing, I stopped and crossed my arms when we reached the anchor. "Go on up first, so you can line up with the rest of the gauntlet."

He gave me a puzzled look.

"Get in line to dole out the punishment!" I simplified. "And make it snappy, or I'll pants you on the way up!"

Already starting his climb, the fuchsia-and-teal ninja glanced quickly over his shoulder, exclaiming, "Arwyn, don't you _dare_ do that again!"

As he scrambled up the chain, I followed him and let loose a loud, maniacal laugh, wishing there was somewhere else I could run instead of having to face Cole.

****Cole's POV**

After my revelation following my outburst with him, Zane had quietly contemplated me a moment as Nya stood silently at his side, waiting, possibly, to offer me her support, but, more likely, hoping to nag me. With a finger, I fiddled with a splinter of wood on the railing, wondering what he was thinking. Eventually, he voiced a comment. "How long have you felt this way?"

Looking out toward the spot Jay had entered the forest, I heaved a sigh, "Since I met her in the clinic."

Zane's pale brows came up. "I assume she is not aware of this." His tone was even and non-judgmental. "Why have you not informed her of your affections?" Nya wordlessly rolled her eyes at that.

I ran a hand over my face and mumbled awkwardly between my fingers, "Because she's the Green Ninja…and Sensei's daughter?"

He looked doubtfully at me. "But…what does that matter? She is also a woman who appears to care for you to at least some extent." A self-righteous sound of agreement came from his elbow.

Rubbing my face with both hands in a self-conscious gesture, I muttered, "I know. It seemed so reasonable in the begin…" Then I grasped the rest of his comment and dropped my hands quickly. "Wait, what? 'Appears to care' for me? How do you know?"

"Anyone who is observant enough would notice how you interact with one another," he answered straightforwardly. "Also, yesterday evening, when you revealed her as the prankster, you both had elevated resting heart rates into the nineties, which is very unusual for both of you." He raised a brow again, along with a corner of his mouth. "I deduced that something had occurred between you before you came out of the bathroom." Nya snorted and covered her smile with her fingertips.

Knowing my face had gone the color of Kai's uniform, I put my back to them and squeezed my eyes shut. _Does he also know my blood type and sperm count?!_ At that moment, my comlink vibrated with an incoming call, startling me back to the present situation. Only Jay or Arwyn would be likely to be calling.

I hastily punched the button to turn on the audio and could hear Jay saying, "Oh, I just heard you were out here _alone_, upsetting Cole, and breaking kind of a major rule." He had opened his end one-way. I brought the communication device closer to my ear.

It was apparent as he questioned her that Arwyn was not aware that Jay was allowing me to listen in, which I thought was very underhanded of him, but I wasn't gonna turn it off, either! Moreover, neither of the two with me suggested doing so, especially when they were leaning in closer to hear better.

When Arwyn stated with conviction that she wanted to be more than just the Green Ninja, and Jay replied that he had tried to give her that, Nya assumed an uneasy expression. I shared her reaction. The topic of the secret came up, and she really perked up, appearing more disturbed. I could only shrug.

However, "What the _frick_?!" was the reaction of both of us when Jay suggested seduction. "Just who is he proposing she seduce?!" Nya angrily asked no one in particular. I didn't want to think about it.

We descended to the main deck, and I watched the tree line until I saw the pair emerge as their conversation went on, with Arwyn saying she'd embarrass herself with a disclosure, increasing my misgivings.

A knot was developing in my stomach as I dreaded the confrontation I knew was coming. I had no problem yelling at Kai or Jay for doing something stupid or reckless, but this was going to be different.

Leaving the railing, I wandered over to the entry to the below-deck stairway, passing Kai who was coming up to check out what was happening. Noticing my demeanor, he wisely kept on going to meet Nya and Zane.

One of the last of her comments, the remark about my being just a boss to her, made me flinch hard as I reached the stairs. Was that truly how she regarded me? Not willing to hear more, I turned off the comlink, then reached up and gripped the wooden lintel of the stairway opening, staring blankly into the darkened passageway.

It wasn't so funny how a statement of hers could so easily kick my legs out from under me. _Guess that's what I get for eavesdropping._

Crazy laughter sounded from Arwyn below the ship, followed shortly by a cry of protest from Jay. Within a minute, Kai's cackling greeted Jay as he landed on the deck. "Yeah, yeah. She did it again. Laugh it up, fuzzy-head, you're time's coming!" the lightning ninja returned. "Hey, Nya! Almost ready to leave?"

I couldn't catch her reply, but he bounded up to me, muttering, "What's eating _her_?" Adjusting his shorts, my fleet-footed brother addressed me with more enthusiasm, "Ahoy, Capitan! Did you catch my transmission? I thought it might make it easier to figure out why Arwyn went AWOL."

Cutting my eyes toward him, I answered, "Yeah, I got it…It was quite…insightful."

I guess he noticed I was a little wound up. "Sorry you heard that 'boss' thing. I think Arwyn's kinda miffed about something."

"Well, we're two peas in a pod, then." Behind us, I could hear Arwyn being greeted by the rest of the team as she crossed the railing onto the deck. _Better get this show on the road. _

Releasing the lintel, I turned to face her as she strode toward me in her curve-hugging running clothes, possibly intent on heading for her room. As usual for her runs, she had pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, but long, wavy tendrils now hung on either side of her still-flushed face, softening the challenging look she flashed me.

How the hell was I gonna pull off a disciplinary action when she looked so beautiful to me, even with the way her eyes dared me to chastise her? Although her 'boss' comment still rang in my ears, for the moment I had gotten past wanting to yell at her for running off.

Planting my feet and crossing my arms over my chest as she stopped impatiently within a couple of yards of me, I prepared to go into ninja-leader mode the way I knew everyone standing around expected me to do. _Here goes nothing_.

Inhaling slowly, I began unsmilingly, "I'm sure you're aware that you just broke the biggest, and probably _only_, rule you have, which Sensei made before you even came here." I tried to disregard her eye-rolling. "You are _not_ to leave the _Bounty_ without a Master with you. I _know_ you haven't forgotten about it, since the subject comes up on a regular basis."

"How can I forget it?" she bit back sharply, posturing herself in imitation of me. "I'm the only one on this ship who's stuck here like a freakin' prisoner!"

"Let me reiterate. We are _protecting_ you!" I pointed out quickly, trying to remain calm and diplomatic. "Although it's not all you are to us, as the destined Green Ninja…"

"Yeah, you know what?" said individual rudely interrupted me. "I didn't ask to _be _the 'destined Green Ninja', I didn't apply for this position, and I didn't even ask to come here!"

Gesturing in frustration, I could feel my ire rising rapidly. _Why is she making me do this?_ "I shouldn't have to remind you that you were born into this, that there is no one else ordained to help us defeat the dark lord!" I shook my index finger in front of her face. "By selfishly running off alone, you recklessly risked yourself and all of…!"

"'_Selfishly_'? _You_ try living like this with no autonomy!" She was now pointing angrily at my chest while our brothers and Nya watched the whole mess with morbid curiosity. "And what is the big deal? The radar was clear! Nothing happened, did it?!"

Oh, it was definitely time for a _serious_ reality check. "'_WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL'_?" My voice rose steeply in volume as I bawled out irately, "THE SERPENTINE, _WHO CAN TUNNEL_, HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE, AND COULD'VE KIDNAPPED YOU OR _SLAUGHTERED_ YOU, POURING YOUR BLOOD OUT ON THAT TRAIL WHILE YOUR FOUR GUARDIANS WERE _TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS_ TO THE FACT THAT YOU _**WEREN'T EVEN ON THE SHIP**__!"_

The color drained from her troubled face as she was struck speechless either by my yelling or that image. I somewhat regretted my tirade when I saw Zane grimacing behind her, but she had been missing the big picture.

Fighting to quiet down, I moved to within an arm's length of her and took her by both shoulders, saying firmly. "This is _not_ about your independence. It's about your life and safety and the future of everyone in this land. If something were to happen to you, what would happen to Ninjago?" _What would happen to __**me**__?!_

Staring at my chest, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but made no sound. I had obviously knocked the wind out of her sails, giving her pause to consider. Gone were all traces of defiance or irritation.

Dropping my hands, I looked past her at the somber, mute faces around us. "Does anyone want to add anything?"

In unison, Jay and Nya shook their heads in a negative reply, while Zane just looked at me like I had slapped her in the face. With his arms crossed, Kai alone stepped forward in support of my upbraiding.

"I agree with everything he just said and whatever discipline he imposes. Each one of us would fight to the death to protect you, Arwyn, but we shouldn't have to potentially lose our lives because you did something dumb." A painful look shadowed her face, and she covered it with her hands in shame as he went on frankly, "We got damned lucky a few days ago that the blood spilled on this deck wasn't yours. We can't take any more chances."

When he was done, she lowered her hands and looked contritely at each of her guardians in turn. "I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking beyond myself or my own stupid concerns when I did this. I promise you all, something like this will not happen again." Each of us nodded our solemn acceptance of her apology, and she turned back to me to face her penalty much meeker than when she had first marched up.

Doing this to her when nothing bad had actually happened was killing me, and now it was time to make things worse. She had begun the fall of the dominoes, but it was up to me to ruin all of my plans and this day of leisure for both of us. "Everyone gets disciplined when they screw up. So, while everyone else enjoys their daytrip in the city, you'll be here training all day under my supervision."

"I think that would be most unfair to you, Cole, since you specifically asked for this day of rest." Sensei's voice startled me as he ascended the steps to the main deck. Walking from behind me to stand by my side with his bamboo staff in his hand, he addressed Arwyn without hesitation.

"I am_ most_ disappointed." Alarmed, she glanced at him, then silently cast her eyes to the deck as he continued in an obviously vexed tone. "I took such pains to protect and shelter you since before your birth, giving you up to strangers at the cost of my own heart and happiness, all because of my love for you and for the sake of the salvation of Ninjago. All of that, only to have you act disobediently and childishly because you desire to do as _you_ wish?" He punctuated that last part by rapping the butt of his staff on the weathered wood of the deck.

"For what reason would you act in such a way?" He waited for Arwyn's response as her eyes darted up to mine for a second before she lowered her head again and answered softly, "I have no good reason."

Our teacher was quiet for a moment, then he spoke gruffly, "Look at me." Raising her face, she dutifully met his gaze, whereupon he must have made a gesture unseen by me, for she suddenly dropped to both knees on the deck, curiously settling into what I thought was seiza.

Her next move stunned me, however, when she placed both hands on the floor in front of her and bowed so low that I thought her forehead rested on the wood.

Dogeza. I had only seen this traditional outward expression of apology and submission one time before while traveling through a remote mountain village. Seeing Arwyn performing this act of humility hurt my heart, and I thought the tension in my neck and shoulders was going to cause muscles to snap.

Sensei Wu stood straight as an arrow and stared out over the deck of the ship, expressionless, as she remained prostrate, both of them unmoving. I noticed that Nya and the guys were busily examining cloud formations during all of this.

After several painfully long moments, he bent forward and tugged on Arwyn's shoulders, urging her up. Running footsteps sounded behind me, and Lloyd rushed up to meet us as she stood, exclaiming, "Did I miss something?!" No one answered him as the tension slowly eased.

I placed a hand on the boy's shoulder to stay him as Sensei stated to Arwyn, whose head was still bowed, "As Cole said, you will remain here in training for the day, but _I_ will be supervising while he and the rest of your brethren enjoy the day in the city." I jerked my head in his direction to dispute my change of schedule as he added on more to the sentence. "And you will also be denied the pleasure of their company for the rest of the day."

_NNNOOOOOO!_ I gawked at him incredulously. He was ruining the last shreds of my plans! Not only was our day of fun in the city gone, but the afternoon in the glade and anything beyond that was trashed, too! I would have _no_ time with her today, at this rate!

Arwyn's head had come up, desolation on her face as she realized she was being ostracized, if only temporarily. I had not seen her this unhappy since she had come here, not even when she had questioned being abandoned by Sensei. _Omigod, she's going to hate me for all of this! I have to do something quick!_

"Uh, Sensei, I really don't mind staying behind," I began hesitantly, since I knew I was gonna be stepping on his toes. "I can take care of the training, you really don't…" He didn't let me finish.

"Put it out of your mind, Cole, and enjoy your day." Like that was gonna happen _now! _"Arwyn and I will be fine alone, and if we run into problems, we will contact you all." Regarding Arwyn, he instructed, "Wait for me in the aft-most training room."

Nodding wordlessly, she set out for below-deck, glancing my way over her shoulder as she began to descend the stairs. "Arwyn!" Reaching out a hand, I started forward, but was brought up short by my master's bamboo staff thudding against my chest.

"Go now as I said, Cole. We will be fine,"he reassured me confidently. "Do not return before five, and bring back kibbah and chicken shawarma from that restaurant on the corner of Reed and Benoit for supper." And, just like that, with an order for take-out, I was dismissed along with the rest of his students.

After I helplessly watched his rice hat disappear, I remembered that Lloyd was heeling when he spoke. "Um, Cole? I don't know if I really feel like going to Ninjago City now. Maybe later. Will that be okay with you?"

Glancing down at him in surprise, I felt a twinge of betrayal. "But earlier you were dying to come to the city with me. I thought you wanted to go to Doomsday Comix."

Fidgeting somewhat, he apologetically mumbled, "Well, something's come up, and I'd just rather stay."

Something in the way he said that suddenly clicked with me. Tousling his pale mop, I laughed quietly. "That's okay, buddy. I totally understand."

Surprising me even more, he responded with total assurance, "I know."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at his certitude. "You know what?"

"Der. I know you like Arwyn." Lloyd awarded me a very tolerant look.

"Uh, well, uh, everybody likes Arwyn…" I tried covering. Was this the day everyone, except the object of my affection, found out I was in love?

"Yeah," he agreed, then smiled conspiratorially up at me. "But you 'LIKE-like' her."

Attempting to act as cool as a cucumber, I scoffed lightly, "How can you possibly know this?"

Rolling his steel-grey eyes, he stood a little straighter, saying proudly, "I may be ten years old, but I'm not a kindergartner. I can see it every time you look at her." _Well, crap. _

Oh, well. May as well utilize this. "Uh, can you tell if _she_… '_like_-likes'… _me_?" I asked, more hopefully than I should have.

Garmadon's spawn peered at me derisively. "Hey, I'm only ten years old! I can't tell what a woman is thinking!" Drat.

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed heavily, "Ah, well, don't worry about it. You won't be able to tell no matter _how_ old you are."

Viewing me inquisitively for a second, he finally shrugged and started for the stairs. "I'm gonna see if Uncle needs my help with anything!" Stopping on the third step, he turned back to me as I still stood on the deck, feeling my mood circling the drain, following my plans for the day.

"If you're bringing something home for Uncle, would you get me a gyro, too? Oh, and I bet Arwyn would like veggie kabobs and falafel! And could we have baklava for dessert?" Having given me his order, he dashed down the steps.

I had just been officially relegated to food-delivery duty. Closing my eyes and rubbing my temples, I soon became aware of the conversation going on behind me.

"Well, Sensei said to leave, so we'd better get going," Kai declared, with his comrades voicing agreement.

"I'm already ready!" Jay announced. "Just need a little extra antiperspirant! Are you about ready to leave, Nya?"

Walking past me, she halted at the top of the stairs and turned to face him with an unyielding look and a tougher tone. "Jay. We need to talk."

I didn't have to look back at him to know that no amount of antiperspirant was gonna save him now. "Uh, what about, sweetie?" he questioned in a voice that sounded a touch higher and shakier than usual.

"Cole wasn't the only one who was privy to your conversation with Arwyn," she informed him irritably, crossing her arms in front of her. Seeing her body language, I knew he was about to get raked over the coals. "You and Arwyn apparently have a secret, and you're encouraging her to seduce someone? Just what is going on between you two?!"

I had to check out how the Master was gonna wheedle his way out of this one. "Heh, heh! You heard that, huh?" His eyes flitted to me, then back to Nya, who impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for his defensive move.

"It's not really anything, just a small, insignificant secret. Heh…And I certainly wasn't suggesting she seduce _**me**_… I mean, I was joking anyway, it…" A bead of sweat was gathering on his brow as he took in her stone-cold glare. Heck, she was making _**me**_ uncomfortable.

Nya continued to simply stand and wait for Jay to produce something she was satisfied with, but he insisted on making it hard for himself. And with witnesses, no less. Grabbing the back of his neck, he tried hemming and hawing. "Like I said, it's just a small, teeny secret, nothing you need to concern yourself with _at all_…not a thing…really! A nonentity. Smaller than small. I don't even know why I know it…Can't remember how I learned it, even…In fact, what secret?"

I could tell she was losing her patience as her stare became more penetrating, and her foot tapped faster. At last, against all our better judgments, he winced and said, "I can't say anything."

"You can, and you will!" she corrected him irrefutably.

"But I said I wouldn't! And I've been doing so good so far, too!" He seemed so proud. I wondered how proud he would be if he were single.

"Yay, you've set a record." Her cheer was unenthusiastic. Dropping her arms and stepping down the stairs, she threatened, "You will sincerely regret it if you _don't_ tell me immediately. I'll be in my room getting ready to leave…with or without you!"

Jay looked after her worriedly. "Nya?" He glanced quickly at me, then at the two men behind me, apparently deciding that her company, such as she was, was better than hanging with us. "Nya! Wait!" Leaping from the main deck, he cleared the entire flight, landing in the corridor below, and raced after her.

As I stood watching the dust settle behind Jay, Kai and Zane stepped up to stand on either side of me. Zane had a trace of a smile, while Kai chortled with satisfaction at his brother's quandary, "I guess we should have told her about that a couple of weeks ago, huh?" I nodded in silent agreement.

On my right, Zane leaned over to address Kai from across me. "Were you aware that Cole is in love with Arwyn?" I nearly swallowed my tongue.

Not believing that the quiet one had just divulged a confidence of mine right in front of my face, I burst out, "For God's sake, Zane! That wasn't supposed to be broadcast _nationally_!"

From my left, with a straight face, Kai barely glanced at Frosty. "Duh. Why do you think I almost got ripped a new one a couple of times?"

Staring at my blaze-brandishing brother in astonishment, I gasped, "_You_ knew?"

His obsidian eyes squinted in the sun as he gave a bored wave of his hand. "You may have other secrets I don't know about, but you weren't hard to figure out on this one."

He cocked his head at me with an amused twist to his mouth. "Why do you think I, (A), backed off of her, and, (B), needled you at the coffee shop over never dating? Because, (A), I didn't want to fight my much-bigger brother who cared more for her, and, (B), it was fun."

I face-palmed in exasperation. "Who the hell _doesn't_ know?"

Kai looked thoughtful. "Hmm…maybe Jay? Nya? Arwyn? Lloyd? Sensei? No, he knows everything. Probably why he's been hounding you. By the way, shouldn't you let Arwyn know at some point?"

"I'm _trying_ to. And Nya and Lloyd know."

"Well, get a move on," he advised as he gave me a friendly punch in the shoulder. "You may be the solid-as-a-rock Master of Earth, but even the earth's crust has fault lines and fissures. I think you've developed yours. Wait any longer and you're gonna crack wide open."

As the three of us headed to the bunkroom to change for our daytrip, I considered his words. Kai was right. Compared to how stable I had seemed two months ago, having Arwyn enter my world had really shaken things up. For the better.

**A/N: Thanks for dropping by, now drop me a line! And just for fun, let me know from which country you hail! Have a terrific weekend! Namaste!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Only owning my OCs here! Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Kinda short chappie, since I'm taking so long to write the end, but, hey, read and enjoy! And review!;)**

**Chapter 27**

****Arwyn's POV**

After about three hours of intense Spinjitzu training, as well as stair-running, rope-climbing, and practicing conjuring my green, concussive energy, I was really wondering what the _hell _I had been thinking when I decided to go running alone. 'Soul-soothing' it had not proven to be.

As it was, I was getting exhausted just kicking myself for acting so selfishly and not considering all possible consequences, like dying during an unexpected Serpentine attack, or worse, causing the death of one or more of my beloved brothers.

None of that had even crossed my mind at the time. All I had been worried about was how unfairly I was being treated and trying to make myself feel better about my nonexistent love life. What a crybaby!

I had never been more ashamed of my actions than I was when Cole had screamed at me about what could have happened while I was out traipsing about cluelessly like a wood sprite.

It had only gotten worse when he had, much more calmly, reminded me of my duty to the people of Ninjago, and even more so when Kai had spoken his mind. I was so low at that point that I was certain all of my teammates despised me for my immature, irresponsible rebelliousness, and I would never be able to regain their respect.

And what of my chances of winning Cole's affections? When I had first faced-off with him, the look of disapproval in his striking greenish-grey eyes had initially fueled my insolence, but after he had pointed out the error of my ways, it had stabbed me through the heart. He had definitely taken me down a notch or three. _If he even wants to be the F-word with you after this, you'll be frickin' lucky. _

As for Sensei, I had the utmost respect for him, and was coming to love him almost as much as my adoptive father, Ryo. When he had voiced his disappointment, especially in front of everyone, I knew I'd hit rock bottom. The only way I could think of getting some absolution at that moment was through performing dogeza, and I knew even that wouldn't make it all better.

That morning he was not 'Chichi'. He was purely my teacher, and he spoke only to instruct me as I labored without complaining to complete every task he demanded of me. At least the work kept my mind somewhat occupied, and if I cried, I couldn't tell the difference between that and the sweat that dripped from my face.

Finally, he had brought my toil to an end for the morning, and we had joined Lloyd in the dining room for the simple sandwiches he had prepared. Although he was told that he couldn't speak to me, Lloyd communicated with me by speaking to Sensei about whatever he wanted me to know, like what he had ordered for supper from Cole. It did my heart good to know my little cousin was making an effort to make me feel better.

After lunch, my master took a break from his drill sergeant role, and we 'relaxed' with tai chi in the training room with the heavy bag for a while. It was during the striking-the-tiger sequence that he posed a question instead of grunting an order. "For what reason did you lose all direction and act so waywardly?"

My kick was out of kilter, and I came down into a crouch less gracefully than I meant to, continuing the poses as I slowly answered, "I lost my focus when I become troubled after realizing that an aspiration of mine was more likely nothing more than a pipe dream."

Leading me through the poses, he scrutinized me silently for a moment before stating without a doubt, "This involves Cole." I closed my eyes to avoid cutting them toward him. "You must exercise patience and faith," he advised simply, then said nothing more for the rest of our practice, leaving me to reflect on his words.

****Cole's POV**

Jay and Nya had met us on the deck as Kai, Zane, and I were about to jump the railing and head for Ninjago City, both looking like the cat that ate the canary. They were also back to canoodling, so it was obvious that Nya had pried from Jay whatever information he was withholding, and they were good again.

_Better take this opportunity_, I thought as I grabbed her elbow before she and Jay could connect for the leap before the jet-takeoff. She didn't seem at all surprised and smiled broadly up at me before I even had a chance to question her. "I'm not telling, Cole."

"What?!" I could not believe she was doing this to me, knowing what she knew. "Why not?!"

"You'll have to talk to Arwyn," she replied sweetly while prying my fingers from her arm.

I let go of her and ran my hand through the hair I'd just combed. "I _tried_ a while back, and she wouldn't talk. Remember the day I got racked?" _**I**_ certainly did! However, the evening afterward had made things better.

"Well, obviously you didn't use the right words." Her smile was cryptic as she walked over to Jay where he waited patiently with a ludicrous grin and his golden nunchuks. Slipping into his arms, she added, "And I don't mean you should say 'Please, oh please, tell me'!"

"Well, what the heck do you mean?" I asked in aggravation, about ready to push Jay over the railing for keeping this from me to begin with.

"You're smart! You'll figure it out!" she shouted as they leapt over the banister and blasted away.

Zane and Kai viewed me sympathetically. "Maybe we should have dangled him by his feet over the railing…without the nunchuks," Kai offered as he watched the jet become a dot on the horizon. If only I had been able to get my hands on him.

Standing by the railing, Zane turned to Kai and me. "What are your plans today, Cole?"

I sighed with disappointment as I hefted the Scythe of Quakes. "I _was _gonnabe taking Arwyn to see Sofiya and then around the city for the day. That's shot now, along with my mood. I guess I'll just find something…"

"Oh, no way!" Kai interjected quickly and pointed a finger at me. "Remember what I said about cracking? You're not gonna do that on _my_ watch, chief!" Looking over at Zane, he asked, "Will you be with Sofiya all day?"

"Unfortunately, no," Zane answered regretfully. "She could not reschedule her classes, so I will just be meeting her for a short time at the coffee shop this morning until she's done this evening."

"Great, then, we'll be like the three amigos on the town!" Kai declared. "Go and see Sofiya, then meet…"

"Just come with me now to the coffee shop," Zane suggested as he held a golden shuriken in each hand and threw a long, blue-jean-clad leg over the railing.

"Ah, the coffee shop," smiled Kai impishly while brandishing his Dragon Sword of Fire with a two-handed grip. "Perfect place to start!"

"Um, Kai…" I lifted a finger tentatively and started to protest.

"Shut up, and let's go!" he shouted as he and the ice ninja disappeared from my view. Today was supposed to have gone so differently. Glancing ruefully over my shoulder, and hoping Arwyn wasn't seething with hatred for me, all I could do was follow.

Once we were in Ninjago City, Zane zoomed straight for the Fitness Center on his Snow Mobile to pick up Sofiya, while Kai and I took off for the rendezvous point.

When we entered the coffee shop, I anxiously scanned the place, quickly spotting the Italian-speaking flirt from our last visit. Ducking my head, I attempted to make my way to the back without being noticed.

Kai followed me to our seats, teasing along the way, "As if you're gonna sneak past her! If she doesn't _see_ Mount Cole, she'll be _sniffing_ you out!" He paused. "Plus, the scythe kinda makes you a little conspicuous."

As we sat in the same spots we had been in a few weeks ago, I shot him a dirty look. "Just don't persecute me and encourage anything this time, okay?"

He laughed tauntingly as he propped his sneakers on the coffee table, "Oh, but this has _so much_ potential for epic entertainment!" I had such a bad feeling about this…

After glaring at him, I caught sight of the shapely, blonde waitress as she made her way to our station. I could have been mistaken, but she appeared to be ogling me lustfully. "Ah, damn," I mumbled as I slid down a little in my chair.

Kai's smirk just got more twisted as he reveled in my anticipatory discomfort. "This is _so much_ fun already! I wish Arwyn was here!" I wanted to flip the coffee table onto his head.

"_Bella scoperta!_" our server exclaimed with a broad smile as she approached me in a revealing top and an almost-revealing skirt, totally ignoring my teammate. Placing a hand on my shoulder, she drew her fingertips across the back of my neck to the opposite shoulder as she circled around behind my chair like a predator, saying, "It is so good to see you again, _caro!_ You must have lost my card! You never called!"

"Uh…" I could feel my face burning with embarrassment.

Kai sat on the couch enjoying the spectacle, shoulders shaking in mirth, one eyebrow cocked high, trying to cover with his hand the highly-amused grin he apparently couldn't suppress any other way.

I could think of a way to suppress it, but I was too occupied trying to figure out how to shake off the brash woman who was combing the hair behind my ear with her manicured nails, and being thankful that Arwyn wasn't here to see it.

Hearing a familiar voice call my name, I looked up hopefully and saw salvation in Zane and Sofiya as they came gliding across the coffee shop. In her usual formfitting outfit, the yoga instructor looked up at him, saying something, then hurried toward us, leaving him behind. The waitress saw her coming and backed off of me warily.

"Cole, _sweetheart!_ I've missed you so much! It's been _hours_!" Sofiya spouted right before she plopped herself into my lap, crossing her legs, and throwing her arms around my neck. _What the frick?!_

Shocked beyond belief, I could only grip the arms of the chair with eyes widened as she grabbed a handful of hair at the back of my head and pressed her full lips against mine. She drew back after a moment just enough to whisper, "Arms around me, goober!" before kissing me flat on the mouth once again.

Not certain _what_ I should be doing, I obediently followed her instructions, my nearly-paralyzed arms making it around her waist as I squeezed my eyelids tightly closed, trying to shut out the befuddled frown on Zane's face. _I'm gonna get frozen solid for this,_ I managed to think through the fog in my head. _And why is this not Arwyn on my lap?_

To make matters worse, I had heard Kai's gasp in the background followed by, "Damn! I wish I had a cell phone! Why couldn't Jay have put a camera on our comlinks?!" Lucky for me he didn't.

After what seemed like forever, Sofiya ended the smooch, leaning back and looking quite pleased with herself. "I owed you one," she explained with a smile as she glanced in the direction of the retreating waitress.

Zane still stood behind her, frowning at us as he took her by the hand to help her off of my lap. I could do nothing more than give him an apologetic look, since I couldn't yet form words.

"I agree that Cole was in need of some assistance," Sofiya's mildly jealous beau commented a bit sourly. "But I believe you just used a fire hose to extinguish a candle, dearest."

In response, the platinum-haired nymph immediately silenced the nindroid by locking lips with him and pushing him down onto the nearby loveseat. He had no problem at all returning the public display of affection.

"Geez," came Kai's comment. "I feel like I'm on the last row in the theater at a chick flick! By myself!" I was still too busy recovering from Sofiya's maneuvers on my own person to be concerned about what was happening on the loveseat.

"So, is this a round-robin? Which of you do I get to make out with first?" With all the distractions, I hadn't noticed the attractive, light-chestnut-haired woman in a fitted T-shirt and yoga pants walk up. Unabashed, she stood at the end of Kai's couch with arms crossed as she eyed me and the fire ninja up and down.

Kai jumped from his seat as though a spring had come through the cushion. "You could start with me! Name's Kai," he tried to be as suave as possible as he stuck out his hand in greeting.

Taking his hand and shaking it briefly, the slender woman gave him the once over with an appreciative nod, "Eh, I could do worse. But I was joking about that." Releasing his hand as he gave her an uncertain frown, she gestured to the necking couple. "I'm the kissing-girl's friend, Renata." Turning to me with a little wave, she said, "And don't bother getting up if it's too hard, er, _difficult_ for you." She glanced at my lap with a simpering grin.

Feeling my cheeks heat a tad, I stood anyway, extending my hand and taking hers. "I'm fine. I'm Cole, the kissing-guy's teammate, as well as that of the wanting-to-be-kissed guy."

"Hey!" Kai protested with an exaggerated look of offense. "Just because I offer to include her…"

"Oh, then you're all Arwyn's friends!" she quickly made the connection and interrupted Kai by pushing him back into his seat with her fingertips on his chest. My eyebrows arched as I watched his easy compliancy to her action and his resulting grin. _Oh, yeah, he's a goner_.

"Right," I verified, smiling at the thought of Arwyn. Then I remembered why this woman's name sounded familiar and added, "We're three of the four _stronzos_."

"Ooh," she winced a little as she tucked a straight, medium-length lock behind her ear and sat down next to Kai on the couch. "Sorry about that. Apparently she found that term useful?" Her eyes caught Kai's motion as he put his arm on the back of the couch behind her shoulders, but she didn't acknowledge it. _He's such a smooth operator._

"At least once," I replied with a small chuckle, taking my seat again.

"Well, where is she today?" she asked, checking around. "I'd like to meet her." I grimaced at that. Zane and Sofiya had finally realized they weren't home alone and had broken things up, straightening their hair and clothing as they sat up on the loveseat to join our conversation.

"She broke a major rule this morning and had to be disciplined by Cole," Kai supplied helpfully, making me grimace again.

"'_Disciplined'?!" _Renata and Sofiya repeated, unbelievingly, like he'd just said I'd spanked her.

I took a breath and gave them a short outline. "We're a team. I'm the leader. We have rules. She broke a big one. I had to make her miss the trip."

After regarding me silently for a moment, without expression, the center of Kai's attention stated, "You _are_ a _stronzo_."

"I am _not_ a _stronzo!"_ I rebutted a little loudly, causing a few heads to turn. _But thanks for reminding me that I feel like one._

From across the café, the blonde waitress yelled, "_Yes_, you are!" as our new, male server walked up to take our orders.

After he had gone, Sofiya turned on Zane with an irritated tone. "You said he was in love with her, and that your _sensei _had made her stay for training!" Evidently, he _did_ broadcast it nationally. Turning on me, she was even more accusatory. "How could you do that to her, when she hasn't been off the ship in at least three weeks, then _you_ come running around the city on a day off when you _say_ you love her?!"

Leaning forward, I placed my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. Could I feel any worse? "Zane…?"

Thankfully, he filled in the blanks for me. "Well, I did not explain that Cole was fulfilling his responsibility by reprimanding her and that he had intended to spend the day training her himself before Sensei insisted on taking over. And that he had initially planned on taking her to see you and then around the city today." His tone turned hopeful. "Does that make it any better?"

Pursing her lips, she looked at me from under lowered lashes. "I suppose. But why have you not yet told her how you feel?!"

Pausing a moment, and closing my eyes, with a resigned outbreath, I finally summed it up aloud. "Because I'm worried about her rejection, and I'm an idiot." There was a brief hush, then both women gave me a round of applause.

"Amazing that you're big enough to admit it," approved Renata, cocking her head in appraisal of me. "Of course, you're big enough already…"

Kai nodded at me with a smirk. "I'm big enough to admit he's an idiot, too." Sofiya's girlfriend gave him a 'really?' look and shook her head.

Over the course of the next half hour, while we drank our caffeinated beverages, the women forced me to tell them about my feelings for Arwyn and why I had not said something to her sooner, 'like an ignoramus', according to Renata.

Sofiya assured me that Arwyn most likely did _not_ hate my guts as I feared and would _not_ stomp a mudhole in my heart and walk it dry, even after the shouting match we had had this morning. She wouldn't explain further, telling me only that I should trust my heart and have faith that all would end well. And to not waste another minute.

She had me wondering if I shouldn't consider employing my shuko and ashiko spikes later to scale the side of the _Bounty_ so I could talk to Arwyn through her bedroom porthole if Sensei insisted on sequestering her until tomorrow.

During my interrogation and the ensuing advice segment, Kai and Zane had astutely stayed out of the discussion, admiring the women quietly, and possibly making mental notes on what to do if they were caught in a similar predicament later.

After several minutes of "Cole on the Hot Seat", Sofiya finally moved off of me and put the spotlight on Renata, giving Kai a chance to learn a little more about her before they decided it was time to head back to the Fitness Center.

Sofiya had another class coming up, and Renata needed to change before running an errand and then attending one of her third-year law school classes across town. She had ridden with Sofiya and Zane on his Snow Mobile, so when we gathered outside the coffee shop preparing to leave, Kai took the opportunity to offer Renata a ride wherever she needed to go.

She gave him an odd look out of the corner of her eye. "Where's your vehicle?"

Haughtily pulling his sword from its scabbard with a flourish, Kai flipped it end-over-end toward the curb where it transformed instantly into the Blade Cycle.

Seeming a tad nonplussed by the sudden appearance of the Cycle, Renata was unimpressed otherwise. "Huh. A motorcycle. Do you have a brain bucket that goes with this contraption?"

"Excuse me?"

Rephrasing her question, she said more slowly, "Do you have…enough sense…to wear a HEL-met…when you ride this thing?"

Kai scoffed arrogantly. "If you only knew the dangers I face on a regular basis, riding without a helmet wouldn't seem like such a big deal." When he was done with _that_ declaration, he toned it down a bit. "But, yeah, I usually have one."

"I'd rather walk back to the Fitness Center," she told him as she began to saunter down the sidewalk, tossing back over her shoulder, "But you're welcome to accompany me."

Kai hurriedly dispelled the Cycle and whipped his head toward me as Zane and Sofiya roared away. "Sorry to do this, dude, but I gotta…"

"I know. Go," I waved him off with a tilted grin. "I'll catch you later." Watching him jog away to catch up with her, I realized I was now the last unattached Spinjitzu Master. And it was my own damned fault.

bella scoperta=what a surprise!

caro=dear

stronzo=asshole (although I'm sure you already Googled that one!XP

Renata (re nah ta) is named after my sis!

**A/N: The end is near :( Please read and review for me! **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I still only own my OCs! Shout out to HersheyChocolates101, birthdaypi, Song Of Hope, NinjaNat0215, and Iheartninjago2010 for supporting me on that last chapter! Hope everyone enjoys this one as things slowly climax! Read, enjoy, leave a tip!**

**Chapter 28**

****Cole's POV**

Doomsday Comix was about two blocks from the Cool Beans coffee shop, so I took off for that destination to grab a couple of things for Lloyd and Arwyn and kill a little time until Zane and Kai got free to meet up with me again. Otherwise, I wasn't sure how I was going to occupy my time while in Ninjago City. Sensei had told me not to come back before five, and it was just barely ten, so this was gonna be a long day for me.

As I walked along the sidewalk crowded with shoppers and tourists, my thoughts were on Arwyn. Her distraught look right before Wu had sent her to the training room, and how she had glanced back at me when she was walking away, was stuck in my head. Had she been hoping for my sympathy, or was she loathing me at that moment?

And what might she be enduring with our teacher? It wasn't like I wouldn't have worked her hard enough, but Sensei Wu could be really hard-core when he wanted to be, depending on how angry he was, so I knew she wasn't gonna be meditating or playing badminton all day.

I guess I wasn't paying much attention as I strode through the crowd, 'cause I swear I didn't see the scrawny guy before he plowed into me, or I ran over him, or whatever.

I noticed a jolt right before I saw this professional-type hit the ground in front of me. He huffed angrily and opened his mouth to say something he'd regret later, but thought better of it when he took a good look at me with a thunderstruck expression and politely shut it before anything spilled forth. I was wondering if it was my physique or the scythe strapped to my back that kept him from being rude as I grasped his hand to help him up, but then I recognized him.

"Well, if it isn't Dr. Jin Kita!" With an unamused show of my teeth, I jerked him to his feet, keeping a firm grip on his hand, while I thought about crushing it. "This must be my lucky day! Sorry about knocking you down there." I reached out with my other hand to brush the dust from his elbow, causing him to flinch.

"Uh…yeah, pleasure to meet you again…uh…" He attempted to pull his hand from my fist, which I allowed after a couple of tugs.

"Cole Montanaro," I informed him with a stiff smile. "How've you been?"

"Just fine, thanks." He straightened the expensive jacket that matched his expensive trousers and shoes, making me feel underdressed in my alternative-metal T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"Oh, and, sorry about that hole in your wall," I said, more as a reminder than an apology. I only regretted that was _all_ I had done. "Better that than your head, though, huh?"

Narrowing his eyes, he responded with a little jab. "Is Arwyn still with you? Tell her I _really_ miss her." _Yeah. I'll do that._ He must have seen something cross my face, 'cause he suddenly seemed in a hurry to flee.

I hooked his upper arm before he could. "Actually, yes, she is still with me, and doing very well," I hoped. "But, you know, she never mentions you, _and_ I don't think she got that last check you meant to send her…"

Nervousness clouded his features as he avoided eye contact with me. "Oh, well, I guess my accountant didn't take care of that! I'll see to it…"

"That would be a great idea. Doctor," I advised him darkly as I freed him to run. "You can send it to her old address. A friend of ours will take care of the rest."

Widening the distance between us, he prepared to make his getaway. "Right! I'll take care of that as soon as I get back to the clinic. Sorry to rush, but I have appointments!" Ducking into the crowd, he was soon out of sight.

_Well, that did my spirits a world of good! Little prick._

Reaching Doomsday Comix without further mishap, I perused the shelves for the latest 'Starfarer' and the last two 'ElvishQuest' issues, finding them easily.

At one point I paused with disbelief in front of a glass case which held a full set of the current uniforms of the elemental masters. _Where the frick did they get these?_ _And those signatures are __**not**__ ours! _

Checking out a few minutes later, the gawking of the slightly creepy cashier was making me a bit uncomfortable before he finally said, "Awesome replica ninja scythe, man. Did you get it at Comic-con last month?"

Comi-what, now? I wasn't sure how to answer that. "Um, no, I made it myself."

"Great job, then! It looks so authentic!" He seemed suitably impressed. I mumbled my thanks and soon found myself back on the street with my books in a bag.

_Where to next?_ Scanning the shops lining the opposite sidewalk, I saw three possible places of interest: 'Veronica's Secret', an art supply store, and an antique jewelry shop.

_Hmm …Might be jumping the gun a little to be considering a visit to 'Veronica's Secret', eh, champ? But, I like your newfound optimism! _

I had to laugh at myself, not only for thinking I may soon be seeing hers, but because I considered sexy lingerie for Arwyn to be a waste of money. In my opinion, the best place for it was on the floor. None of my dreams about her featured intimate apparel. I didn't need straps and lace hindering me in any way when, _and if_, I finally got the chance to get that far with her.

Trying to focus on the present again before I stepped into the street and got hit by a car, I decided the art supply store was a safer bet. Strolling in, I purchased a good set of graphite and colored pencils since I had noticed hers had reached the stubby stage.

Right after that, I found myself walking up to the antique-jewelry shop next door, with no clue as to what I may be looking to get. I only knew that I wanted to present Arwyn with a gift a little better than sketch pencils and graphic novels.

As I entered the little shop, the middle-aged woman running it was impatiently showing a slightly dumpy, thirty-something guy in a brown gi the door.

"No, sir, I will not allow you to put up an advertisement for your dojo in this shop. I told you that last week!" I stepped aside and held the door open as she shoved him through it. "Try the comic book store across the street, and don't come back here unless it's to buy something!"

Brushing her hands together, she turned to me. "Thank you, young man! May I help you with anything?" My scythe held her attention as she spoke. Kai was right about it being conspicuous.

"I'd just like to look around a bit, ma'am." _Since I have no idea what I'm looking for_.

She left me to myself as I browsed the cases of vintage jewelry, stopping at a display of engagement rings. I knew it was really premature, but I _did_ like to plan ahead. One in particular caught my eye. A flared, white-gold band held a marquis-cut amethyst with a set of pear-shaped rubies flanking it. That would be great, since I knew Arwyn's favorite color was purple. She wore it all the time.

"Is there anything there you'd like to examine?" The shop owner had quietly glided up to me while I imagined Arwyn lying next to me, wearing the ring and nothing else, both of us entangled in the sheets…

"Um, just fantasizing…," I confessed with a sigh. "It may be a _little_ early for this kind of jewelry." She smile at me kindly. While peering longingly at the ring again, a thought hit me. "I know the ruby is my birthstone, for July. What is the one for February?" I remembered her birthdate was the twenty-eighth of that month, although it had taken me longer than I wanted to admit to figure out why she had chosen the times she had used to set our alarm clock.

"Amethyst," she answered right away.

_Perfect! That has to be a good sign …Maybe they do layaway… Okay, seriously, Cole?… "_Would you have anything in amethyst and rubies that might be nice for a relationship that's not yet very serious?" Or which doesn't yet officially _exist?_

"Hmm…" She walked to a nearby case and, after looking through it for a minute, brought out a pair of stud earrings consisting of a round amethyst surrounded by smaller rubies. "These might be just what you're looking for."

"They _are_ very nice," I agreed, admiring them. _But_…"I just need to ask…Can I return these if she hates me?"

The lady cast me a bemused look over her eyeglasses. "Don't you mean if she hates the earrings?"

"No, ma'am." I pressed my lips into a straight line. "I mean if she hates _me_." My confidence certainly hadn't lasted long.

After appraising me for a minute, she asked, "Would these be for your girlfriend?"

Scratching the back of my head, I admitted, "Well, she's not that…yet."

Another pause came as she looked me over carefully with a concerned expression. "Are you stalking this person?"

Startled by her suggestion, I denied it quickly. "No!"

"And she knows your name?"

I drew a deep breath as I rubbed my temple. "She knows everything…nearly everything…about me." Except how I felt about her. And the virgin thing.

"And what do you know of her?"

"Nearly everything." Except the thing Jay knows. And now Nya, too.

"Uh, huh." Checking me out with a curl to her lips, she arched her brows and stated, "Well, I can_not_ imagine why any young woman would hate _you_, but I don't know what you may have _done_, either. No matter!" She dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand.

Adjusting her glasses and studying the earrings in the light as she held up their little velvet box, she mused, "I think you would be making an excellent choice with these as a gift. If I recall correctly, the amethyst symbolizes peace, gives courage, and strengthens relationships. Rubies are considered the most powerful gemstones and signify protection and passion."

She paused and fixed me with a flirtatious look. "With these earrings, you could be stating that you wish to valiantly protect and defend her, embracing her serenity, increasing her courage, and fortifying your commitment to love." Mesmerized by her words, I stared at the little, glittery gemstones. _Valiant Valerio_…?

I'm no hopeless romantic, but she had me sold. Heck, earlier I'd just been happy they were purple. "I'll take them."

I walked out of the jewelry store with the little box in my jeans pocket, my hopes up and my confidence bolstered. And I hadn't spent a fortune. Supposedly, the earrings had been half-off already, and, since she said she recognized my scythe as belonging to one of the 'brave, handsome ninja guarding our city', the charming jeweler had taken half off of _that_.

Right before I exited the shop, I had even noticed her removing the amethyst-and-ruby engagement ring from the display case. I was hoping she was graciously putting it to the side for a possible future visit by 'a brave, handsome ninja'.

Not long after that, my comlink vibrated. Zane and Kai were free and looking for me. Meeting up with them a couple of minutes later, we briefly discussed what the 'three amigos' should do for the day until I was allowed back on the Bounty and they could reunite with Sofiya and Renata for the double-date they had planned. I still couldn't believe Kai was dating before I was.

As we convened, I noticed my spiky-haired teammate seemed to be much more interested in my zipper than usual, and, although I tried to ignore it, I was about to embarrass him about it when he attempted to do the same to me with a trademark smirk. "Uh, Cole? Not that I make a habit of staring at your groin, but I'm really hoping you have something in your pocket right now."

Biting back a sarcastic remark, I fished the little box out of my pocket, causing both men to take an involuntary step back and inhale sharply like they thought it held something radioactive or was a carrier of the plague. Kai went as pale as Zane, while the ice ninja stammered, "Cole, I-I understand you love her, b-but is this not perhaps a little soon?!"

Rolling my eyes, I lifted the lid of the small container and watched as they simultaneously sagged with relief and laughed sheepishly. I didn't tell them I actually _did_ have a ring picked out, unless I felt later that Arwyn would want something different. They didn't need to know everything.

After they had calmed down, my fiery brother's attention was soon caught by the sight of the tallest building in Ninjago City. It held business offices and had an observation tower at the pinnacle. None of us had ever been there, so it became the first destination on our tour of the metropolis.

Reaching the top, we lined up along the slanted viewing platform, silently beholding the miniscule figures and vehicles on the streets below, until Kai asked, "Where's an exit? Wanna jump off this thing?" Zane and I hurriedly hauled him out of there before he had time to pull any crazy stunt.

Out on the street a few minutes later, we came across a four-star restaurant, the kind with a valet parking luxury cars and a glorified bouncer at the door calling himself a maître d'. Despite my protests, Kai ran in, exclaiming that it was about time for lunch.

The Dragon-Sword toter insistently tried to convince the hoity-toity stuffed shirt that, although we had no reservations, he and I were prominent Ninjago entrepreneurs and Zane was the CEO of a high-profile software corporation. The maître d' wasn't buying it as he condescendingly eyeballed us in our T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers or boat shoes and made a comment about 'riff raff'.

As we were 'politely' escorted to the exit, I'm pretty sure Kai said something profane to the pompous ass, and I _saw _him flip him off. Back on the sidewalk, the three of us swaggered to the curb, and, with one accord, turned back to him and bowed with a flourish in both directions, toward and away. We should have been ashamed of ourselves, but, guess what?

The maître d' was not impressed, but apparently at least one diner was since she gave Zane a smack of approval on his back jeans pocket as she passed him.

Transforming our Spinjitzu weapons, we roared off on our respective vehicles as the valet yelled at me for scuffing a car door. Oh well, _he_ should try driving the Tread Assault in city traffic!

Driving away, as we haggled over our comlinks about where to go next, I thought about how it might be nice to take Arwyn to a place like that sometime soon. But I'd have to at least buy a tie first.

A little later, Zane, Kai, and I found ourselves munching on hot dogs and nachos at a Ninjago Gnats minor-league baseball game six rows up behind the batter's box. Our lunch there tasted a lot better than I could imagine the fungi and molluscs would have been at Chez Snoote` (shay snoo-tay**;)**.

I wasn't surprised when Kai started heckling the umpire with comments about his lack of vision and poor judgment. Those were not his exact words, his were much cruder. Conversely, Zane knocked me for a loop when he offered to allow Blue to view a slow-motion replay of the game so far so that future calls might better reflect reality as everyone else saw it. Those _were_ his exact words.

I kept my mouth shut and enjoyed the comedy, planning on denying I knew them if they got thrown out of the stadium. I was just appreciating the distraction from worrying about Arwyn, which I did about every three point four minutes.

That just got worse after the game when we were wondering around downtown, and Zane suggested the municipal art museum. I thought about nothing _but _Arwyn as I viewed the breath-taking Renaissance and Impressionism works.

Of course, when we got to the modern art section, our comments ranged from 'WTF?!' to 'I could do this with my feet!'.

By the time we got out of there, it was close to the time Zane and Kai were to meet Sofiya and Renata. Kai started prattling away about how the law student was so hot and smart, and what a funny, yet, dry sense of humor she had, etc. A few minutes later, when we stumbled on a small parade, it was time for him to shut up already.

As if he was demonstrating his euphoria over meeting this new woman, Kai handed his sword and scabbard to Zane, then vaulted onto a passing float blasting Latin music and joined the dancers on it, trying a few sexy dance moves, but not quite pulling it off. The float riders pushed him off about a block later.

It was about four thirty at that point, and my loyal brothers were anxious to abandon me and run off to start their dates. I was fine with that, since I still had food to pick up for supper before I could start the trip back to the _Bounty. _

I wasgetting more anxious as the afternoon wore on, anticipating getting home and trying to convince Sensei Wu to let me see Arwyn this evening. That's why I sat myself at the bar while waiting for my food order at Café Soos and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Okay, I got one _without_ the alcohol, although I _really_ could have used it.

****Sensei's POV **

As I had noted before, Arwyn was very like her mother, although she had not been with her since she was a toddler. She was strong-willed and could be very obstinate when she was determined to accomplish something. While I did not wish to crush her spirit, I also did not want her to develop a tendency to overlook her commitment to the team and her obligation to Ninjago in favor of her independence.

She had lived on her own just long enough to have become self-sufficient and self-reliant, so that she had to relearn how to be subject to the rules and routines of a group, and to think more altruistically.

She had also not yet developed the mindset that following orders and obeying rules was not an option in her situation. She may be the ninja destined to liberate Ninjago from the dark evil threatening all, but she was the target of much malevolence and had to learn to submit to limits placed in order to shape her and protect her for her future role.

Her mother had learned that the hard way. Mave` also valued her independence and railed against Garmadon's restrictions while in the Underworld, eventually rebelling and escaping his oppressive rule. When she came to me, I gave her all the freedom she needed, reveling in her jubilation at being unbound. Until we discovered her pregnancy.

I was aware that the child she carried was the redeemer mentioned in the scrolls and became very concerned about the safety and security of both mother and baby. While she understood that Garmadon would be unlikely to simply let her flee from him without pursuing her, she was less vigilant than I, never having seen him at his worst.

I continually warned my love about never going out without my supervision or being far away from my protection, to the point, I must admit, of harrying her. Most times she was very patient with me, kissing me and reassuringly promising me to never stray. But there were a couple of times when she had become irritable and refused to speak to me for hours, purposely staying just out of my sight, though never far away.

But there came a day when she was not so careful. When she was about five months into her pregnancy, we had settled temporarily on the edge of a small village in the Valley of Nadirs at the foot of the Mountains of Impossible Height. I had grown up in the monastery in the mountains not far away and had always loved that area.

Near our hut, on the shore of a small lake, was a carefully-tended garden which I admired often. The colors of autumn were at their apex there, and I could spend extended periods of time gazing at the beauty of it all, especially in the early morning.

Knowing this, and also mindful of the fact that we would most likely be forced to relocate soon due to the incessant prowling of Garmadon's scouts, Mave` decided to capture the delightful vision of the garden for me without conferring with me ahead of time.

One morning just as the sun was rising, I woke abruptly to the uneasy feeling that something calamitous was soon to occur. In the first glow of daybreak, I could see that my beloved was not in our bed. Reaching out to find the linens cold, I heard her distant scream, and the blood froze in my veins.

Rushing out into the cool, crisp air at first light in only my pajama pants, with my staff in hand, I followed the sound of my name resonating across the lake. There, on a low rise above the garden, was Mave`, in a blue yukata kimono, frantically struggling in the grasp of two warriors of the skeleton army. Several more surrounded them, celebrating their catch.

Furious at the sight of my unborn child's mother being handled in such a way by those vile and loathsome beings, I sprinted up the rise and plunged with little consideration into the small crowd of about a dozen skeletons, utilizing my Spinjitzu to scatter the majority of their bones to the four winds.

Screeching to a stop, I easily brought down the last three spares as they came at me wielding their weapons. Blocking with my staff and forearms, I deflected the shafts of their maces and axes, dodging their pitiful attempts to wound me. Landing several well-placed, powerful kicks to their sternums and pelvises, I then broke apart their wasted frames, sending them collapsing into small heaps.

Satisfied with my handiwork, I pivoted to concentrate on the two holding Mave`, only to become alarmed to find them dragging her resisting figure toward a portal they were opening several yards away. Hastily spinning again into my golden tornado, I was able to position myself between the portal and Mave`, halting their progress and facing her two captors.

One of the skeletons released her, advancing on me with his gruesome, eternal leer, raising his scimitar high. Having no time for anything impressive, I angrily thrust the tip of my staff into an empty eye socket, sending his promptly-dislocated skull flying with a quick, twisting jerk of my staff up and to the side.

Turning my attention to the last warrior, I saw that Mave`, unable to break the grip he had on her, had thrown herself to the ground, forcing him to bend in an attempt to lift her up again. Taking the opportunity, I swiftly smashed his skull with a forceful, downward blow from my bamboo staff. The portal behind me immediately closed with a flash of light and a strong gust of wind.

Dropping my staff, I fell to my knees at Mave`'s side where she knelt, crying, but unhurt, save for a few bruises, her arms protectively folded over our treasure in her lower abdomen. Gathering her to me, I said nothing as she clung to me, her weeping gradually slowing. I spied her toppled easel at the top of the rise as I scanned the area for more of Garmadon's troops.

After shattering the skull of every fleshless soldier I had felled, in order to prevent their resurrection, I carried Mave` back to our bed, holding her in my arms until her trembling ceased.

She explained that she had wished to present me with a painting of the tranquil scene I appreciated so much so that we might take it with us on our indefinite wanderings. After only a few minutes out alone, she had been surprised by the small contingent of warriors who had wandered in from the other end of the valley.

Knowing it was unnecessary, I did not bother to express my displeasure with her careless behavior before going back to the lake and collecting the bones for a watery burial. Convinced that the skeletons' presence there was a random incident, I allowed us another few days in that scenic area, during which time I vigilantly sat on the knoll above the garden at sunrise as Mave` painted her gift to me.

Mave` never again left my protection, until death took her from me. Years later, the painting she had risked her safety to create for me was one of the canvases lost forever in the burning of the monastery by the Serpentine.

I related this incident to Arwyn near the end of her day of training alone with me, to give her some insight into my relationship with her mother, and to instill in her an understanding of why her recent behavior was unacceptable and why I was punishing her so harshly.

She had, albeit courageously, ignored Cole's order to hide and avoid fighting if Serpentine boarded the ship during the attack a few days ago, resulting in her and Lloyd being injured and nearly being taken captive. She had then disobeyed my rule of not leaving the _Bounty_ without a Master to go running alone. I was hoping that the current discipline would curtail any further carelessness related to her safety.

Noting the time on the clock that hung on the training-room wall, I rose from my lotus position on the tatami mat and left the room without a word, leaving Arwyn to her meditation. It was already five forty, so I was certain Cole was back from his forced day in the city.

My noble student had been so dismayed by my commandeering of Arwyn's discipline that I had felt I was punishing both of them. Yet, I knew it would be more meaningful coming from me, and I did not want her to have feelings of resentment toward Cole for doing that to her, either during or after the day of training. He did not need anything else lowering his odds.

I found him in the kitchen, setting the bags of take-out from the Greek and Lebanese restaurant on the counter by the sink. Lloyd was hovering nearby, gripping a comic book, and telling the tall young man how he had been bringing Arwyn and me beverages and keeping an eye on the bridge all day.

Spotting me, he quieted for a moment, causing Cole to look over his shoulder. Seeing me, the imposing ninja faced me with a tense countenance and bowed in greeting. "Sensei."

I nodded in acknowledgment. "I hope you enjoyed your day off, Cole. Come to the door of the aft-most training room in five minutes. Listen carefully. When you hear my staff on the floor, you will be dismissed." I left the kitchen as he stood by the counter questioningly. It was always best to leave them wondering.

Five minutes later, Arwyn was going through some yoga poses as I extinguished my incense. I had seen her eye the door a couple of times over the last minute, so I knew Cole was probably already stationed outside of it. _One last little thing_…

She stopped her stretching when I turned toward her, still in the role of the stern teacher. "What do you believe you have gleaned from today's activities and the reason behind them?"

She stood straight and tall, quietly concentrating on my feet for a moment. "That I must always obey your orders and remember I am part of a team."

"And…?" I prompted.

She frowned up at me as she searched for another answer.

I tried again. "And what of Cole…as your leader?"

Understanding came to her face, and her eyes cut toward the door. She hesitated before answering. "I must also o-…listen to…him, for his directives come from you."

That had been difficult for her to say, but why? "Very good." The thump on the floor from the butt of my staff resounded through the room. "We are done. You have performed well, and you may now go. I will have someone bring you supper when you are more comfortable. I believe Cole has brought us something from Café Soos."

Arwyn bowed wearily to me and collected her towel. "Sensei, before I go, I have something to discuss with you."

****Cole's POV**

_What the hell is he __**doing**__?! Is he __**trying**__ to make her despise me?! _Closing my eyes and putting my head back against the wall of the hallway, I heard the thud of his staff as I scowled and gritted my teeth in vexed disbelief.

The woman already had a hard time with having no independence. Did he have to make her _vow_ to submit to my orders, too?! And I knew very well that she knew I was within earshot of them and had heard it. If she didn't hate me enough before, she certainly would now.

Lloyd was approaching me from the direction of the dining room as I pushed off of the wall and headed toward the bunkroom. After seeing me, he seemed a little worried. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Lloyd, everything's fine," I answered him, knowing I was lying. He continued to the training room and entered it without knocking, probably anticipating that they were finished for the day, and he could pick up their cups or something.

In the bunkroom, I stripped off my shirt and grabbed clean lounging clothes, preparing to shower before suppertime after running around the city all day. I was standing on one foot, working on pulling the other foot free of a pant leg, when Lloyd burst into the bunkroom, loudly calling my name.

Nearly falling, I slammed my foot to the floor and caught the armoire with one hand to steady myself. I was standing in my red boxer briefs with my jeans around my ankles while Lloyd hyperventilated like he had just run across the Sea of Sand.

"Is there a _problem?"_ I asked irritably.

The color was coming back to Lloyd's face, but I know mine lost it when he blurted, "Arwyn told Uncle she wants to leave us!"

"Wh-What did you say?" _Please let me have heard you wrong! _

His eyes were tearing up as he repeated, _"She wants to **leave**!"_ Odd how just a few weeks ago he was this upset because she had come to stay.

I shook my head and took a step toward my bed, tripping in my jeans. Making it to the bed and sitting with my head in my hands, I tried to remain calm. "What did you hear EXACTLY?"

"I walked into the room, and she said, 'I can't continue like this. I really want to go.' Then Uncle said, 'I understand why you feel you must leave.' Then they stopped talking 'cause I had walked in." His pleading eyes searched my face. "Please don't let her leave!"

Yeah, I was screaming the same thing in my head and fighting panic. Staring blankly past him across the bunkroom, I felt like I was going numb. _This cannot be happening! _I reached out and took him by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "I will do everything in my power to keep her here with us," I vowed to him._ Anything to keep her here with **me**_…

**A/N: How was that? Please let me know in a review!:) Also, can anyone tell me what movie inspired the guys' itinerary while in NC? I'll give the answer when I post the last chapter. Any comments? Let me know! Also, check out an opinion poll about rewriting a story on my profile. Namaste!**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: OK, this was going to be the last chappie, but it's taking me so long to finish, I can't stand it, so here's just a small portion to satisfy my need to give something to read while I finish this story! Thanks to birthdaypi, Iheartninjago2010, Song Of Hope, AnnaJulian, HersheyChoco101, and Gwen for being kind enough to leave reviews on the last chapter and give me the encouragement I need! Everyone, feel free to PM me or review to let me know how the story strikes you, what you thought was good or not, how I'm faring, etc. I love it!  
**

**Also, can anyone give me the reason that Ch. 21 seems to be read so often? Just wondering what I did right that REALLY clicked with readers. PM me! **

**Chapter 29**

****Cole's POV**

_No. No. No. No! Nnooo! _

_This is bad. _

_This is so, so very bad!_

Tectonic plates were shifting.

Fault planes were slipping, their lines breaking open to pull me down into the newly-created, grating chasm.

I could feel myself falling into the gaping maw to be ground to bits between the shearing walls of rock.

Lloyd's voice brought me back from my temporary stupor. "Cole? You're hurting me."

I blinked hard and shook my head, easing my grip on his shoulders. "S-sorry! I can't let this happen. I have to keep her here with me—with us!" Putting him to the side, I stood, free of my jeans, and paced across the room and back, raking both hands through my hair, feeling myself breaking into a light sweat.

He stood watching me, looking so young and forlorn, his voice quavering slightly when he asked, "Why would she want to leave us?" I suddenly saw _myself_ standing there, much as I had ten years ago, asking my father the same thing. Now I was in my father's shoes, and Lloyd was in mine, watching another mother figure walk out of his life.

Tensing my jaw and pressing the heels of my hands against my closed eyes, I tried to rub out that memory. It was _not_ going to happen again. I would not let it!

Nonetheless, taking a deep breath, I began listing to myself the reasons she may want to ditch us as soon as possible. We had pulled her out of her safe, secure, and comfortable existence to come here to this drafty, creaky ship and live with a bunch of misfit warriors. We'd been working her butt off every day until she could barely stand up at night, training her to fight Serpentine and Garmadon, possibly to sacrifice her life for the good of Ninjago.

We'd demanded that she give up her liberties and submit to our rules. When she'd broken them, she'd been penalized for it. She was also physically isolated from everyone she knew and cared about before she met us. And I _still_ had not let her know someone _here_ couldn't live without her. Dear God, why _wouldn't _she want to leave us?!

Hell, thinking about all of that, I was surprised she didn't take off a long time ago. What _had_ kept her here? She could have taken a Spinjitzu weapon as transportation, except that she hated flying in Jay's jet, and jumping over the side of the ship to transform the others wasn't her cup of tea. Unless I was holding her. She never complained then, only held onto me as tightly as possible. I loved that.

However, she still could have gone down the anchor chain and used them from there. Maybe the thought of stealing them kept her from doing that.

"I won't let her leave."

"How're you gonna do that? Put her in the brig?" Lloyd inquired hopefully.

I squinted at him impatiently. "Really?" _Could I?_ My pacing stopped as I tapped my creased forehead with a fingertip. There was only one thing I knew I could legally do. Something I should have done over a month ago. "I have to talk to her. Now!" I jerked the door open and charged through it, rushing for the training room.

"But, Cole, we're not supposed to be able to talk to her today!" came Lloyd's cry behind me, which I ignored. Reaching the training room, I flung the door open to find it empty. The sound of running water came to me from the women's bath. Arwyn was already in the shower. Next on her itinerary was probably to start packing! And that wouldn't take her long.

_Aha! But without taking my scythe, she has no way of leaving this ship unless someone takes her somewhere! I don't __**have**__ to let her get down the anchor chain, and if anyone comes to get her, I don't __**have**__ to let them onboard! _

Smacking myself in the forehead, I tried to catch a grip_. Okay, Cole, now you're starting to sound a bit nuts! You're thinking of kidnapping and holding her against her will. If you're trying to make her __**want**__ to stay with you, that's not exactly the right way to do it… But, hey, any means necessary, right? It's not a __**bad**__ backup plan … _

From there, I dashed to Sensei Wu's quarters at the end of the hall. I had to find out from him what she'd had to say and let him know I intended to talk to her this evening—whether he would allow it or not.

Skidding up to his door, I knocked rapidly and heard his answering call for me to enter just as Lloyd began urgently yelling my name from the bunkroom. With a grip on the door handle, I peeked briefly back at him, then did a quick double-take as I recognized the fact that he was holding my jeans in his hand as he ran up to me.

Glancing down at my loins in a panic, all I saw were my clingy, red boxer briefs snugly hugging my upper thighs, pelvis, and …everything else. Snatching the pants from the blonde boy as he got to me, I literally jumped feetfirst into them at the same time that the door to Sensei Wu's quarters opened.

Jerking the jeans up around my hips, I hopped about to face my mentor at the door, hearing a curious little clunk as something landed on the floor at my feet. We stared wordlessly at each other for a frozen moment, his expression unreadable save for a tilted brow, mine mortified since he'd caught me in my underwear in the hallway outside of his door.

The awkward moment was broken when Lloyd spoke up at my elbow. "This fell out of your pocket." I looked down to see him holding out the little velvet jewelry box containing Arwyn's earrings. Grabbing it from his hand, I mumbled 'thanks' and stuffed it back into my pocket as Sensei's silent gaze narrowed at me. There were the daggers again.

Going down a mental checklist, I thought about what the reason might be. Was it the underwear, the jewelry box, or…"Uh, sorry, Sensei. I'll get a shirt…"

Before I could go to do that, he responded, "That's quite alright, but, perhaps…" His eyes dipped meaningfully to below my waistline. Following them, I blushed again as I reached down to adjust myself, and zipped and buttoned my jeans.

"You seem to be in a great hurry. Is something serious the matter, Cole?" What? Seriously?! He _had_ to know why I was there!

"I came to speak to you about Arwyn. I've heard some disturbing news."

His look was quizzical as he contemplated me a second, then he nodded. "Of course. Come in before you catch cold." I tried not to roll my eyes. Motioning to Lloyd, he added, "Thank you for assisting Cole, Lloyd. It appears that he is in great need at the moment." Again, I resisted.

Patting his nephew's shoulder, he sent him on his way. "Prepare for supper. I should like for us to eat before my kibbah gets cold. And bring Arwyn her meal wherever she plans to take it." I frowned at that.

Closing the door behind us, he motioned for me to sit on the tatami mat as he lifted his teapot to pour the first cup. Shaking my head and brushing my bangs off of my brow, I politely declined. "Thank you, Sensei, but I don't think I can sit right now."

He politely insisted. "Down, Cole." I dropped compliantly to my knees in seiza as he settled onto his spot and handed me a steaming cup of green tea that smelled of lemon. I could barely swallow the warm liquid as he sipped from his cup before addressing me. "How was your day?"

_Oh, just peachy_. "Fine," I responded shortly, hoping he couldn't hear the bitterness in my voice. "How did Arwyn fare?"

Nodding, he replied, "She worked very hard, and as you heard earlier, she understands why."

"Yeah, I heard." _You just __**had**__ to twist the knife_. Setting my cup on the mat, I drew a breath as I decided it was time to stop ignoring the elephant in the room. "And now she wants to leave."

His eyes showed no surprise that I knew this. "Were you still at the door when she spoke of it?"

"No. I was in the bunkroom." I didn't want him to think I'd been eavesdropping. "Lloyd walked in while you were discussing it. He was understandably upset and notified me." I put the ball in his court. "What do you intend to do?"

"Allow her to go, of course." His serene demeanor never changed, even as he saw my mouth gaping open. Sipping his tea, his eyes did not stray from mine. "So you know only what Lloyd heard?"

"Isn't that enough?!" I gasped out, astonished that he was so laid-back about this. Didn't it matter to him? I knew I was about to overstep my boundaries, but I couldn't help myself. Gesticulating energetically, my voice rose in desperation. "She's the Green Ninja, your daughter! How can you just let her leave like this? Don't you care about her and her destiny, and want her to stay here?!" _He is unbelievable!_

My teacher seemed to take my flare-up in stride. "I am aware of her roles, and certainly I care about her, but we cannot deny her the right to do this."

Gripping my knees and breathing deeply to calm down before he lost patience and whacked me with his staff, I considered the possibility that he was getting senile. As some of my agitation subsided, I was able to ask more quietly, "Why is she doing this? Did she give any reasons?"

He nodded slowly, watching me carefully. "She has her reasons, naturally, and they are valid."

I covered my face with both hands, and then dragged them down again. "She thinks we've been too hard and unfair to her, we've ruined her life, and she hates us, right?"

His gaze remained steady on me, with just the barest hint of a single twitch of one eye. "You will have to speak to her directly if you wish to fully comprehend."

I'd had enough of this inactivity. Jumping to my feet, I stated sharply, "Fine! Then I want to talk to her now!"

He reached for the teapot. "She is not to see anyone for the rest of the day…"

_Oh, my GOD!_ Pacing by the mat, I implored, "Then let the day end at sunset with the daylight! I can't _wait_ until tomorrow! I'll not be able to sleep! I'll get her up at midnight, or…," I stopped and faced him with my jaw set and arms crossed over my bare chest, trying to look as imposing as possible, "I'll just see her this evening _without_ your permission!"

As a cube of sugar fell from his fingers and plopped into his cup, he kept an eye on me, as though daring me to carry out my threat to defy him.

I tried staring him down, but it wasn't working for me. _Crap! He's calling my bluff!_ Admitting defeat, I spread my hands apart at the height of my shoulders and asked in frustration, "Doesn't it _bother_ you that she's wanting to do this?! How can you be so calm?"

"How can _you_ be so upset?" was his unruffled response.

Starting to pace again, I stopped dead in my tracks and thought, _This is it, man. You'd may as well start here and get the practice. _I swallowed hard. "Okay. I'm gonna lay it on the line. When Arwyn first got here, you told me to train her and do nothing else. I tried. I tried _so damn hard_. But this has become too much for me to handle. I can't continue to fight this." Wu said nothing as he briefly turned his attention to pouring more tea into my abandoned cup.

I pressed on. "I'm past the point of caring that she's the Green Ninja or your daughter or any of that. I don't know if you approve of me or if I'm worthy of her—hell, I don't even know if she'll accept me! But I do know that I am hopelessly in love with Arwyn, and there's nothing you can do about it! I cannot let her go. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her here."

My bearded master continued to partake of his tea and observe me placidly like this wasn't news to him. Did he not hear what I just said? _Why won't he say something? Why is he torturing me? _

My knees hit the mat across from Sensei as I tried to find some common ground with him, absently taking the refilled cup he offered me. "Arwyn told me all about you and Mave`. You have to understand what I'm going through. You've loved like this at least once."

Something far away flickered in his eyes when he finally spoke with some sadness. "And I continue to do so."

At last, a breakthrough! I leaned forward in entreaty. "Then, please, don't deny my request to talk to her this evening! I've stupidly put this off long enough! I have to tell her how I feel about her, and try to keep her from leaving us, no matter how she feels about me."

As I waited anxiously for his answer, I became aware that I was currently on my knees and begging this man to see his daughter. As an adult, I had never begged him or anyone else for anything. How much lower was I prepared to debase myself if she rebuffed me?

"You have my approval, for I believe you to be extremely worthy," he said warmly, a small smile crinkling his eyes. "At sunset, then."

Dropping my head with a relieved exhalation, I bowed a little more, saying, "Thank you, Sensei."

Switching to a reproachful tone, he added, "And be sure to be fully dressed when you do."

I ducked my head again to hide the smile his uncalled-for instruction brought to my face as it reminded me of Arwyn's shameless, admiring, gawking at my partial nudity in the bathroom yesterday. I was more than willing to undress as much as I could for her, especially if that would help my case later.

****Sensei's POV**

For all his attempts to always hold everything and everyone together, to be the bedrock, I was not very surprised that Cole had finally somewhat come apart at the seams, even threatening disobedience, during the little scene in my quarters.

I was just a little disappointed that it had taken the risk of Arwyn leaving the group to get him to this point. And I was concerned about what the little box might hold. I supposed I would find out soon enough.

After we had finished our tea, I had sent him out for a shower and more clothing and checked to see that Arwyn had received her supper. On the quarterdeck, she had stationed herself on a blanket with a pillow on the starboard side of the bridge, enjoying a view of the forest to the west.

It was apparent that she was fatigued from the day's activities, but her aura, as it had been all day, was also darkened and subdued. I was hoping that by tomorrow, Cole would have it restored to its usual vibrancy. But it did not need to be _too_ vibrant.

The mood in the dining room was also darkened and subdued. At the dining table, a fog of angst and gloom hung over my two supper companions. It was already unnaturally quiet, since more than half of the usual diners were absent, but now I had one pent-up, tormented, adult male, as well as a long-faced, preadolescent male with whom to deal.

Cole, who was now fully dressed in a T-shirt and cargo shorts, barely ate from his plate of shish taouk with hummus and tabbouleh. Instead, he spent most of his time intently watching the sun's slow journey through the trees through the western window across the table from him.

On his left, my usually-exuberant nephew Lloyd said very little and hardly ate more, mostly just poking at his gyro sandwich. Although he, too, was noticeably distracted, Cole attempted to encourage the boy to eat it, instead of treating it like a hockey puck, using the promise of baklava as incentive.

I, on the other hand, had plenty of appetite for devouring my kibbah and chicken shawarma, earning me peculiar, sidelong glances from my morose tablemates. It failed to bother me. I could still enjoy my meal without the conversation and banter.

When the sun was no longer visible through the trees, Cole shot me a hopeful look, causing me to fight the urge to roll my eyes as the young ones always did as I inaudibly granted him permission to go. The entire table shifted about a foot as he shoved himself away from it and vanished from the dining room in a flash, leaving Lloyd and me alone.

Acknowledging Cole's newly-vacated spot, Lloyd asked with a sigh, "Do you think when he tells her he likes her, he'll be able to talk Arwyn into not leaving us?"

Taking in Lloyd's melancholic features, I knew I could keep this to myself no longer. "Let this be a lesson in not jumping to conclusions when you overhear only part of a conversation, dear nephew," I began kindly as I set my fork next to my half-eaten shawarma.

His puzzled countenance met me as I continued, "After weeks of his agonizing self-discipline and planning, your misinterpretation of the dialogue between Arwyn and me has forced Cole's hand, which is a good thing." His confusion was clearly deepening.

Stroking my beard reflectively, I added, "However, in retrospect, had it not been for my interference and discouragement, or Cole's inflated sense of propriety and respect for me and Arwyn, he would have had this done weeks ago. Perhaps."

I could tell I was losing Lloyd's focus and interest. "You misunderstood what you heard, Lloyd. Arwyn only asked for permission to visit her parents in Miyagi. She is not leaving us."

His eyes widened and a broad smile of happiness graced his face right before he leapt straight up from his seat. "THAT'S WONDERFUL!" Sitting once again, he made a face. "But, why didn't you let Cole know that?"

"Eh, I know he has suffered enough, but he needed a little kick in the seat of his pants for more motivation."

**A/N: How'd you like Cole running down the hall in his underpants? I'm feeling faint just imagining it!;) Not where I wanted to end this chapter, since this was supposed to be the last, but I need to buy time. Please PM or review! Have a safe and super 4th!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: No own Ninjago, just my OCs! This is not the last chappie! It was getting kind of long and the end sounds like the end, but it's not, so there! However, this chapter is what I've been building up to all along... **

**Shout out to all the supporters on my last chapter, in no particular order: stupidvariousreasons, NinjaNat0215, Iheartninjago2010, birthdaypi, HersheyChoco101, Blackrose Fighter, and ForestBornNinjaGirl! You guys rock! Thank you for letting me know I'm doing OK! **

**PLEASE tell me what you think about this chapter! I spent A LOT of time on it (writing, reading it, rewriting...) It would be AWESOME if everyone who has stuck with this story this long would at least drop your pseudonym in a review or PM!**

**Also, this story IS rated T and contains some sexually suggestive material, if you don't like that.**

**(BTW, Cole, Zane and Kai's itinerary in Ninjago City in Ch. 28 was inspired by "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Funny movie!) I will now shut up...  
**

**Chapter 30**

****Cole's POV **

Already knowing since before I went to the dining room that Arwyn was not having supper in her bedroom, I headed straight for the stairs up to the main deck, taking the wooden steps two and three at a time, halting briefly once I arrived at the top.

As the shades of twilight began to creep across the timbered surface, I checked around quickly, and, when I didn't see her anywhere, ran to the port railing with a sense of foreboding to see if any new footprints might be visible in the sand around the anchor beneath us.

Relieved to find a pristine surface, I was already beginning plans to start searching every nook and cranny of the ship when I saw her head duck back behind the starboard corner of the bridge. Seeing her instantly brought a smile to my lips.

It seemed like days since I'd last seen her, instead of about ten hours. Today was the longest period I had been away from her since she had come to the _Bounty_. I couldn't wait to get up there.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked a few seconds later. Not waiting for her invitation, I took a seat across from her on the bed quilt she had spread on the rough floor next to the bridge. She was wearing a sleeveless, buttoned top with cotton shorts, her dark hair loose, while occasional gusts of the warm, desert breeze moved wavy locks around her face and shoulders. _Beautiful._

Sitting cross-legged with her plate in her lap, she looked up from the meal I had brought her, her eyes darting doubtfully past me. "I don't think you're supposed to be fraternizing with me today…"

I waved that away indifferently. "I okay'd it with Sensei Wu. He's good with it." She shrugged and took a small bite of falafel. "I wanted to talk to you."

Pausing in her chewing, she considered me solemnly before baiting me with, "Are you sure you want to be talking to the 'selfish' ninja?"

_Ow_. That comment was coming back to kick me in the ass. "I didn't _say_ you were selfish. I just meant that you made a thoughtless decision…"

Obviously, she wasn't in the greatest of moods. This was going to be challenging.

Finishing her bite, she nodded with acceptance. "I know, I know. I've thought a lot about all that all day, and I've come to terms with it. Something like that won't be happening again."

_Of course it won't, if you're not here_, I thought as dread squeezed my heart.

Trying to stay cool, I attempted to gather information. "What brought that on, anyway?"

With a dismissive gesture, she turned away as she answered, "Just something that happened, something I was thinking about that bothered me. I'm handling it."

What could she have thought was so bad that she ignored everything else? "Anything I can help with?"

She laughed humorlessly. "I wish. Don't worry about it." Putting her unfinished meal to the side, she changed the subject with a tired grin. "Thanks for the food. I like that little café. I always get their shish taouk." I'd have to remember to order differently next time. If there was a next time.

She tried to sound lighter. "How was your day off?"

"I spent most of it with Kai and Zane. Kinda interesting. I'll tell you about it later." Leaning back on my hands, I laid an easygoing grin on her. "But, I would rather have been here with you." Not a bad way to ease into it.

I thought.

Her brows came down as she fired back, "Why, so you could _pummel_ me all day, too? Didn't you get enough out of screaming at me this morning?"

"What?!" Losing my grin, and my confidence, I sat up straight on the quilt. I hadn't envisioned the conversation taking _this_ route.

"Look, I know I screwed up and probably lost everyone's trust and respect." In an instant, she was on her feet, standing over me on the blanket with a look of distress. "But do you need to _hammer_ it into me more?"

_Oh, no._ "No… no! You've got the wrong idea! That's not what I meant…" Confused as to how this had taken such a turn, I returned her wounded glare with one of my own.

Her eyes were beginning to glisten as her voice rose unsteadily. "You even got something like a promise to obey you out of me! What _more_ do you want?!" _Thanks, Sensei_. I _knew_ I was gonna pay for that.

"Nothing! I wanted _nothing_ like that!" She took a couple of steps away from me when I rose to stand before her. "That vow business wasn't even my doing! I just want you to _listen_ to me to keep you safe!" She avoided my eyes as I spoke. "Is that the reason you want to leave?"

"…One of the reasons." Great. I was going to have to jump straight to begging her to stay.

"You can't go."

"What?!" She gaped at me like I had a Serpentine head. "Sensei said you'd have no problem with me going, that you'd be _fine_ with taking me!"

"How could he _say_ that?!" I asked, thinking now that the man must surely be going senile.

"_Why_ would you deny me? Is this more punishment for going against you?!" Pivoting sharply away from me, Arwyn briskly walked around the front of the bridge, yelling over her shoulder, "Do you hate me _that_ much for running off?"

I followed quickly behind her. "'Hate you'? Hell, no! If anyone was being despised right now, I would think it would be _me_!"

"Of all the nerve!" Before I could catch up to her, she had reached the only door of the bridge, opening it and slipping through the portal in the blink of an eye. "I don't want to talk about this anymore!"

The door slammed shut in my face, foiling my pursuit.

I rattled the door handle vigorously. She had locked the damned thing! "Arwyn, open this door! I have to talk to you! I have to explain something!" Silence from the other side.

_Oh-kay_. I was willing to play hardball. "I will _not_ hesitate to break open this _stupid_ door! You have to let me explain why I don't want you to quit the team!"

Listening a moment, but still hearing nothing, I nodded with grim determination. _If that's the way she wants it, then let the fur fly_…

Taking a step back and lowering my shoulder, I barged forward, but caught only the edge of the door as it opened without warning. As I hit it, it was flung to the side, and I unexpectedly plowed into Arwyn where she had stood with her hand on the interior handle before it was jerked from her grasp.

Throwing my arms around her as I hit her like a linebacker, I heard her grunt of pain as she started to say my name. Losing my balance when we connected, I took her down rolling as I endeavored to cushion the overall blow. We came to rest with Arwyn on top of me, my arms around her waist, our legs interlaced. But I didn't get a chance to enjoy it.

She caught her breath, then demanded, "Let me go right now!" Angrily pushing against my chest with both hands, she was able to lift her upper body somewhat away from mine, but kept full contact with everything else while struggling against me.

Fighting me the way she was, I had two potential problems. One, she was pretty strong, so I wasn't sure how long I could hold her if she really wanted to get away. And, two, physically, I was finding it immensely pleasurable. I had to change this arrangement soon before she noticed.

However, someone else was presently commanding our attention. "Uh, guys?" Jerking our heads toward the entrance together, Arwyn ceased resisting, while I tried to act as though nothing was amiss about our current, less-than-decorous position.

Lloyd stood in the doorway, surveying us interestedly with a plate in his hands. "I thought I'd…uh, bring you some baklava before the others get back and eat it all."

With as much composure as I could muster while lying on my back on the floor under Arwyn, I responded with a smile, "Well, that was thoughtful of you, Lloyd. Just drop it there on the counter, and we'll have some in a minute." When he didn't move to do it right away, I asked pleasantly, "Did you enjoy yours?"

That seemed to spur him, as he made his way to the counter to follow my instructions, nodding as he went. "Yeah, it was great! Thanks for bringing it." When he had accomplished his task, he eased toward the door, as Arwyn and I both kept still, watching him in silence. Arriving at the exit, Lloyd stole one last, curious look back at us with a sharp grin that suggested he thought he knew what we were up to.

Raising an eyebrow, in a somber tone I advised him, "Sensei doesn't need to know about this." Mutely bobbing his head with his little conspirator's smile, he finally left the bridge, shutting the door behind him.

While she was still momentarily distracted by Lloyd's interruption of our discussion, I swiftly rolled with Arwyn, smoothly flipping her onto her back. Getting up on my hands and knees over her, I held her in place by her upper arms as she grasped my elbows.

Although she was protesting strongly, as I gazed down at her with her silken hair spread on the floor around her head, I couldn't help thinking, _Oh, man. She looks like she does in my dreams. Except for the irate glare_. _And the hollering_.

When she brought her leg up a little, I became conscious of the fact that she had a thigh between my knees and a clear shot at me if she was pissed enough. I could only pray she was merciful, although, by the expression on her face, I wasn't really expecting it.

In between her ultimatums, I appealed to her, "Just hear me out! That's all I ask! It's not a directive, it's a request. There's something that you really need to know. Okay?"

She still gripped my arms hard, but quieted and quit squirming, her glare softening. "Talk."

Pulling her up into seiza before me as I sat back on my heels, our knees together, I slid my hands down her arms to her wrists, still holding her firmly like I was afraid she'd run away. She clasped my wrists just as securely as we faced one another.

This was it. Time to say what should have been said weeks ago.

_This should be easy_, I thought as I concentrated on her expectant, chocolate-brown eyes. _You've already admitted this to several people. No big deal, right?_ Then why did I feel the effects of the adrenaline coursing through my body like I was leaping unarmed into heated battle with a thousand Serpentine warriors?

Probably sensing this was difficult for me, Arwyn tipped her head a little as if encouraging me as I inhaled slowly, reassuring myself that no matter how this turned out, it was unlikely to kill me, even if I'd _want_ to die.

Although my mouth was parched and my throat constricted, I was somehow able to speak. "You can't leave the team. Not because you're the Green Ninja, but because I am so in love with you, that my world will crumble and fall apart if you leave me." Her eyes widened, and the pressure of her fingertips on my trembling arms increased.

I soldiered on, the words miraculously flowing from my mouth. "I fell for you the day I met you, and I was foolish, thinking it wasn't right because of what and who you are. But no matter what I do to deny it, every day my love for you grows more intense, my need for you grows stronger." Her lips parted as her jaw dropped a bit in shock.

"You are everything good and vital in my life. A smile from you sends me to nirvana. A touch from you, and I have no strength at all. Every waking moment is spent thinking of you. Every dream revolves around you."

Her face pale, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but I couldn't stop yet. "I've done a lot of things, and been all over Ninjago, but none of that ever made me feel so alive and happy as I do when I'm with you, no matter what we're doing."

"You give me so much, without even knowing, and, yet, I have nothing to offer you in return. I don't have a college education or a job or money. No house, no car, no stability." I shifted my gaze from hers, knowing what that made me sound like.

"My heart, soul, and loyalty are all I have to offer, and you have them already, whether you want them or not." She squeezed my wrists harder, making me look up at her once again.

Frowning, she shook her head side to side, while unshed tears shone in her eyes, causing me to fear the worst, so I voiced it. "I once said, 'There ain't nothing in this world that I'm afraid of'. That was before I met you. Now I am _terrified_ of something happening to you, or of you leaving me."

"I know there's probably no reason for you to feel the same about me, and, although I'm hoping against hope that's not true, if it is, please, at least consider staying for Lloyd, Sensei, and Ninjago." She bowed her head. "Even if you don't care about me, I think I could still survive if I have you nearby." _At least until you found someone else_…

"Just don't go," I whispered.

We were still tightly clutching each other's wrists as if they were lifelines. Dusk was deepening, taking the light of day with it. Between that and the way her hair hung loose, I couldn't see her lowered face. Bending forward, I slowly pressed a kiss on the crown of her head before tensely sitting back into seiza to await her response.

A familiar tone from the radar pulled my attention from Arwyn. Inspecting the large, glowing screen across the bridge from us, I verified that the blue blip was Jay's. He and Nya were coming in and would arrive in about a minute.

Feeling her readjust her hands on my wrists, I anxiously turned my gaze back to Arwyn. She was looking at me uncertainly, the light from the radar glinting off of her wet cheek, as she gave her head a little shake. "Y-you _love_ me? _Me?" _I nodded with a tentative smile. "That was beautiful." She still looked stunned. "You're so wonderful…. You must be crazy." My brows arched. This was not the reaction I had expected.

Her demeanor was one of skeptical shock. "I've been nothing but trouble for you since I got here. I'm more responsibility for you, I-I brought dissention between you and Kai, I've ignored your orders several times,…"

"None of that matters! I still love you!" I insisted, shaking my head rapidly. "It's all been worth it since I have you here!" What was she trying to do? Convince me I was wrong to care about her so it wouldn't hurt so much when she delivered the coup de grace and told me she didn't feel the same?

"…I'm the reason Chichi's been on your back, the cause of you nearly giving up as leader, the reason Jay,…"

As if she had called for him, the door to the bridge swung open, revealing the lightning ninja in his flashy, flowery shirt and usual toothy grin with Nya following directly behind him.

"Hey, guys! Lloyd said something was going on in the bridge. Wazzup? Why isn't the light on in here?" As he ambled in and flicked on the light switch, looking quizzically at the radar, I noted the sudden awareness that lit Nya's face when she stopped just inside the door.

Understanding immediately what must be going on between Arwyn and me, she gave me a thumbs-up with a questioning look. I answered her with a mere nod.

Jay, however, was completely oblivious.

Scowling lightly at my usually-blue brother, I made an effort to clue him in. "Nothing's up. We're good, Jay." _Please go away!_

Nya tried to help me out. "Yeah, um, Jay, why don't we go down below and find a movie to watch or something?" Snagging him by the wrist, she started to pull him away, when Arwyn astonished me.

"Jay, wait!" Letting go of my wrists and pulling out of my hold, she got up quickly and grabbed his other arm, finally smiling. "It's time! Do you want to be the one to tell him my secret?" _Crap. I kinda forgot about that_.

His eyes lit up, and his grin got bigger, if that's possible. "Oooh! I get to tell him?! Man, this is _awesome!"_ He rubbed his hands together in delighted anticipation, making me really uncomfortable about what might follow. I didn't need an audience if she decided to humiliate me.

At his side, Nya frowned with doubt. "Uh, Arwyn, are you sure you want _him_ to do that? Maybe we should go, and you two can talk alone…" _Excellent idea._

Rising from seiza, I agreed with Nya, reaching out to get my hands on Arwyn again. "Yeah, thanks for checking on us, Jay, but I've think we've got a handle-"

"No, Jay, it's only fair you get to tell him." Arwyn had other ideas, even as she allowed me to reel her back towards me. "You kept this in for me for a long time, even when I _know_ it was killing you to tell. Now you can."

"Hoo, boy, am I gonna enjoy _this!_"He paced excitedly back and forth a couple of times, as Nya gave up trying to control her beau and sat at the table, leaning on an elbow and propping her chin in her hand with an apologetic eye on me.

Arwyn stood with her back to me as I stepped up closer to her, placing a hand on either of her shoulders. She reached up to grasp my fingers tightly as we waited for Jay to start.

With a clap of his hands, he finally seemed to have decided on an impromptu approach that fit his style. "Okey dokey, artichokey! Here we go!" Eyeing me directly, and raising a finger, he began, "Bro, you don't know how _badly_ I've been dying to do this! I have been trying and _trying_ to get you to break down so we could get this done, but you have a really _strong_ will, you know? I mean, like, rock-solid powerful! I don't think the bunch of us together could have _beaten_ this out of you!"

_**What **__is he talking about?_

He walked a few more steps before he stopped and turned toward us, crouching a little and holding up both hands in front of him as though he was stopping traffic. "Well, now that we've finally reached this stage, let's just _slow down_ and analyze this for a moment, shall we?"

Nya rolled her eyes and checked her comlink watch.

Straightening his posture, he tapped a finger on his chin as he regarded me. "It would seem that _**I've**_ known something for a while that you _don't_ know, that you've badly _wanted_ to know, and you've truly _needed_ to know, but you just _now_ _finally_ figured out the password…"

His theatrics were already beginning to increase my edginess, and I could feel Arwyn's shoulders tensing under my hands as he went on. "Jay, get to the point…"

"…and you continually _pestered_ me to share this information…"

"_Jay_…," I growled in warning. Arwyn patted my hands.

"…_and _you even unceremoniously _dragged_ me out of my bunk and _threw_ me onto the floor to try to get this information…"

Arwyn turned to look at me reproachfully over her shoulder, while Nya cocked an eyebrow in my direction.

He was _so_ gonna get me in trouble with those two. And then I was _so _gonna get him if he did. "Just _tell_ me, man!"

"…and you _and _Kai got all bowed up, big and bad, and threatened to trounce me for it…_Unjustly_, I might add!" I got another look askance from the women. "Ooh! I've got an idea! Maybe we should wait for _him_ to get here for this, too…" He checked his watch and the radar.

"Jay! _NOW!" _He was making me sweat here!

"Hey, bruiser, don't get your panties in a wad! Doesn't it take, like, a bazillion years for the earth to form coal and things like diamonds? Plus, an absurd amount of heat and pressure, and the right…"

"You're about to feel _a lot_ of pressure!" I promised him.

He had the nerve to smirk in my face. "You've waited five weeks, you can wait for a few more minutes, Mr. Eager Beaver!"

Nya and Arwyn didn't necessarily agree with that. "_NOW_, JAY!"

"Alright, already!" He waved both hands in front of him to calm them down. "Geez, you people are really impatient. You'd think as ninja you'd be better able to handle frustration. If you remember, waiting out the enemy _was _one of your lessons recently, Arwyn."

She tensed more as I assumed from his reaction that she was threatening him with a piercing glare.

"Ahem." Clearing his throat, he took on the stance of an instructor beginning a lecture. "Well, let us continue. Now, Cole, you've needed to know this from the very beginning, but Arwyn was afraid to tell you and get a bad reaction from you or get hurt."

Arwyn impatiently motioned with a circling of her hand for him to get to the point.

Ignoring her, he focused on me. "'Cause then she'd still have to live with you, and things would get pretty sticky, and she might end up wanting to seriously harm you in your sleep or break your scythe or something, ergo, she refused to be the first to say anything." He was tap dancing on my last frayed nerve here!

Finally, he took a deep breath. "So, this is it…The secret you've been wanting to know! Get ready!…Here it comes!…Drum roll, please!" He stopped traffic again with a serious expression.

"She's really…"

He paused for effect.

"A _dude_."

"_**JAY!" **_

My hands were instantly hanging in empty air as Arwyn launched herself toward our brother, reaching for his neck.

_That can't be right_, I thought, as I took in the alluring curves proportioned just right for her athletic, yet feminine, body.

I'm sure my expression was one of flabbergasted confusion as I watched Arwyn wrestling with Jay.

Yelling, _"Tell him, already!"_, she was yanking on his collar, his head jerking back and forth as he laughed hysterically, barely holding her back with his arms stiffly extended.

Nya still sat at the table, leaning forward and covering her face with one hand as she silently shook her head.

"Okay, okay!" he gasped between belly laughs. "I _will_!" Apparently satisfied that Jay would finally get down to business, Arwyn released him and rushed at me, nearly bowling me over literally and figuratively as she threw her arms around my neck, beaming up at me.

Looking down at her glowing face, my hopeful arms encircled her at once as I reveled in the sensation of her form molding against mine, warm and supple in all the right places, making it awfully challenging to concentrate on Jay's next words.

His hilarity slowly subsiding, Jay stepped up to me, holding his abdomen with one hand, and placing the other on my shoulder.

Swiping away a fictitious tear, he at last sputtered, "Seriously, man, Arwyn loves you like _crazy_! She's been _madly_ in love with you since the day you two _met_! I found out about it accidentally the day after that! _And _didn't tell anyone!"

Joyous relief was causing my legs to feel shaky as I comprehended his disclosure.

He glanced over at his extremely tolerant significant other. "I didn't say anything until Nya forced me to tell _her _this morning,but _she_ threatened to castrate me!" He faced me again with a self-satisfied look. "I think I deserve a medal for keeping that secret!

Nya saw that as an opportunity to clear the room. "You're so right, sweet pea! Let's go find one for you!" Hopping up from the table, she speedily bustled the lightning ninja out of the bridge, slamming the door behind them, and leaving Arwyn and me blessedly alone.

Desperately wanting to believe, but a little afraid to do so, I searchingly fixed Arwyn's gleaming eyes with mine, whispering hopefully, "Is it true? Have you felt this way about me all along?"

Nodding slowly with an ecstatic smile, she brushed the bangs off of my forehead with the fingertips of one hand, while she caressed the nape of my neck with the other, entwining her fingers in my hair.

I languidly closed my eyes while I happily savored her sensuous touch and listened to her glorious words, not even flinching with her use of my full name. "Valerio Cole Montanaro, I love you truly, madly, deeply, more intensely than I'd ever dreamed was possible, and I have since the night we spent together at my apartment. I honestly don't know how I've lived this long without you."

Her fingertips moved from my brow, ever-so-lightly over the side of my face, and gently down my neck, which I couldn't remember ever being so sensitive. Her touch was rapidly raising my pulse rate, among other things.

Her words lifted me higher. "I adore everything about you. I cherish every moment we spend together. You believe I can do anything, and you make me believe it. I like myself more when I'm with you."

Tracing back up my throat and over my chin, her fingertips came to rest as lightly as a butterfly on my lower lip where I was enticed to kiss them before she removed them again. Meanwhile, the provocative ministrations on the back of my neck continued with the other hand until I felt like I was melting.

"I was just afraid to tell you sooner how I loved you since I'd gotten hurt a few times before by wearing my heart on my sleeve. Still, every now and then, I thought I might be able to tell you." Her soft tone lulled me. "You'd give me hope that you felt the same, but then you'd suddenly pull back, distance yourself, and act as though I didn't matter much to you."

Out of the blue, she punched me hard in the shoulder, announcing with a touch of spite, "_That's_ for making me wait so damn long."

Jerked out of my dreamy state, I winced, but still held her to me, explaining, "I did it out of respect for you as the Green Ninja and for Sensei Wu."

"Having your respect shouldn't mean we live without knowing we love one another. That's not how I want us to be." She slid her hand along my upper arm and under my T-shirt sleeve to the sore spot on my shoulder, massaging my deltoid gently with her thumb as goose bumps swept over my skin.

"Then you apologized for yesterday, sounding to me like you had done that just because you'd had a chance, not because you cared for me. When I thought you didn't care about me beyond being a teammate, I felt like something in me had died. I didn't know how I was going to stay here and live with you every day, without you loving me. That's why I was upset this morning."

As she'd spoken, I'd gradually guided her to the nearest wall until her back was to it. Releasing her, I placed one hand on the wall above her shoulder and cupped her cheek with the other, while she gazed up at me with eyes filled with yearning, matching my own feelings.

Leaning forward, I brushed my lips and cheek against her temple, inhaling her heady fragrance. "As for yesterday, I think this is where we were interrupted," I murmured.

In response, she seized a handful of my T-shirt, urging me in closer, while I easily obliged, until the length of my body was pressing hers lightly against the wall.

I knew at that point there was no hiding how much I wanted her as I took her face in my hands and brought my hungry mouth down to cover hers, softly at first, then harder, our lips seeming to burn with the contact.

Never had I had a kiss returned as passionately as Arwyn did. Interweaving the fingers of one hand through the hair at the back of my head, she trapped me to her, while the fingertips of her other hand dug into the thick muscle of my back. Clinging tightly to me, her willing lips parted easily for my questing tongue, meeting it with her own.

Neither had I ever kissed a woman with as much ardor as I did then with Arwyn. I was becoming intoxicated by her delightful taste, the touch of her soft and eager lips, the warm, clean scent of her skin and hair. Every muscle in my body hardened with the desire I felt at that moment for the woman I held.

My exploring hands roamed over her neck, shoulders, and chest, down to her waist and hips, finally settling along her spine as I pulled her ever closer to me, gripping her as though I was afraid she would disappear. She arched against me, her soft curves surging into my hard planes, as though attempting to share the same space, fitting perfectly.

Our fervor for one another was quickly reaching a fever pitch as the kiss went on. Something in the back of my muddled mind suggested I was gonna have to put the brakes on this before it careened out of control, although I was already finding it _way_ too hard to hold back with this incredible woman in my arms.

Forcing myself to break the scorching kiss with a small gasp, I buried my face in the sweet-smelling hair against her neck, willing the frenetic cadence of my heart and breathing to slow. Dusting my neck and shoulder with nibbling kisses, she was ruining my efforts to calm myself, only worsening the tiny, earthquake-like tremors that were going through my body.

Giving up for the moment on the control thing, I turned my ravenous mouth to the smooth spot behind her ear, but tried to at least keep my restless hands on her back. Arwyn reacted by putting her head back against the wall, exposing her delicate throat to me, and quietly breathing my name. I nearly came undone.

Replying with a deep groan of surrender, I followed the muscle along the side of her neck down to the hollow of her throat with my lips and tongue, then continued lower to the first button of her blouse.

Tangling the fingers of both hands in my hair, she held my head against the tantalizing curves of her breasts for the span of a couple of gasping breaths—…_oh … santo dio_…—, then barely saved the buttons from being bitten from the thin fabric by pulling me back up into another long and heated kiss.

Lost in all of the sensations of our hot-blooded embrace, including the feeling of Arwyn's hands caressing my broad back under my shirt—_Why am I still wearing that?_ —_, _I could just make out a nagging voice in the back of my head babbling some drivel about restraint and limits.

In a daze, I subconsciously answered the bothersome thing, _Limits? Yeah… Always push past 'em. _

It responded emphatically with, _**Not in this case, bucko! Get a handle on things!**_

_Stop?! __**Now?!**_ Reluctantly, the thought entered my hormone-flooded-and-blood-deprived brain that this might be hurtling over the edge rather soon, so I should corral the mustangs.

There was also an unresolved issue to be settled.

Arwyn had wanted to leave me.

Pulling away suddenly at that memory, I had her scratching my back with her nails in swift response to my abrupt ending of our kiss. Meeting her concerned and puzzled look, I held her by the shoulders, saying earnestly in a voice that sounded raw, "Tell me this means you're not leaving me! I can't let you go."

Inhaling a shaky breath, she squinted a bit and said slowly, "Yeah…about that…Exactly why would you have a problem with taking me to visit my parents in Miyagi?"

"…M-Miyagi…?"

"Yeah, you know…my hometown? You know I haven't seen my parents in about a month and a half."

"Miyagi." I could only stare blankly at her.

"I think I've established that." She gave me a curious look with a raised brow like she was wondering about my current state of mind.

Feeling my knees giving out in relief, I collapsed to sit cross-legged on the floor, taking Arwyn down with me where she settled in my lap with my arms around her waist. I couldn't stop the ear-to-ear grin that spread across my face as she put her arms around my neck, still considering me cautiously.

Laughing out loud, I hugged her tighter, kissing her neck as I elatedly repeated, "Miyagi! Oh, thank God!"

Leaning back to see me better, Arwyn's expression was one of confusion. "Earlier when you were saying I couldn't leave, did you _not_ _know_ it was just to visit my parents?"

Regaining my poise, I explained, "Funniest thing, that! From what Lloyd told me, I thought you were sick of us and your life here, and you were quitting the team, going back to Ninjago City, leaving me." She regarded me with a little surprise.

Recalling my shirtless meeting with Sensei, a realization struck me, ticking me off. "In fact, our distinguished mentor didn't bother to tell me any differently when I spoke to him about it. He let me threaten to disobey him. He even made me wait for over another hour until sundown to see you, _knowing_ I was agonizing over you leaving me!"

"That old _fart!"_ I huffed with a scowl at his holding back this critical piece of information. Was this the kind of crap I could expect from him from now on?

A look of sympathy flitted across Arwyn's face. "Oh, Cole! I'm so sorry! And I got mad at you for telling me I couldn't go! I couldn't for the life of me understand why you would do that to me! I thought you hated me for breaking the rules and causing you trouble! I guess we both just got our wires crossed the last couple of days, didn't we?"

"You could say that. And you'd have to do a helluva lot worse for me to _ever_ hate you!"Things may have been so different in the last few weeks if I hadn't insisted on being so self-sacrificing. And if Sensei hadn't been breathing down my neck.

Tenderly cradling my face in her hands, she briefly kissed me softly on the forehead, then a little longer on the lips. "You are my heart, and I will _never_ _willingly_ leave you."

Returning her kiss, I repeated the vow sincerely, "As you are mine, and I give you the same promise."

With her lips a hairsbreadth from mine, her whisper was sultry, "I don't want to say 'goodnight', so you definitely can't leave me."

"As if I'd want to." Forgetting everything else as she fit herself against me and persuaded me into another deep and lingering kiss, I figured I could handle whatever Sensei, or Ninjago, threw at me. As long as I had Arwyn.

santo dio=holy god

**A/N: Ahh, love... Finally together, although NOT THE LAST CHAPPIE! (Just keeps going on and on, eh?) Please review! Namaste!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Lego Ninjago I do not own. DX Just own my OCs. With that said...**

**To quote PantherGhoul247: Eeeeeeeeeehhhh! I HAVE THE MOST AWESOME READERS AND REVIEWERS OUT THERE! That last chappie must have REALLY struck a chord! You broke my record for happy readers and generous reviewers! *bowing* I humbly accept the praise heaped on my chapter, and I would name all the reviewers, but you'd get tired of reading it here! Just read them, some were hilarious! You have really made me tingle all over! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!**

**Although I know this chappie is not the same caliber as the last, it's full of nice ColeXArwyn moments as their relationship has evolved. Thanks to Blackrose Fighter for a suggestion that brought about the scene of the guys in the bunkroom! (Another suggestion you made is sparking another couple of chapters if this continues to be well-received!)**

**To 'Anonymous': I am honored by your acceptance and enjoyment expressed for my story in your review! Thanks so much, and I hope you keep reading!**

**To 'So Sad': It's not over yet!**

**Chapter 31**

****Arwyn's POV**

… _I'm dreaming, right? 'Cause this is what always happens in my dreams. Cole confesses that he adores me, and we share the most romantic and passionate night together ever recorded, and we live happily ever after… _

_I think. _

_I've… never really made it past the passionate night part… _

_Please don't let me be dreaming… But, if I am, I don't want to wake up!_

Amazingly, this was _not_ a dream. Although we had had a misunderstanding and tussled a bit on the floor of the bridge—which was actually quite arousing and fun—this magnificent champion-for-right in whose arms I found myself actually _had_ professed his love and bared his soul to me!

However, I, like a moron, had found it hard to comprehend at first, considering how things had gone the last couple of days. Instead of immediately affirming my own feelings for him, I had kinda lost it for a moment there and mindlessly questioned his, like I was giving him a chance to admit he'd made a mistake in judgment.

Thank goodness Cole hadn't reneged, and Jay had come along when he did! Admittedly, it wasn't the best way I could have answered Cole's romantic pronouncement, since the blueberry was too concerned about practicing his improv act to notice that he very nearly sent his leader and me over the edge.

Especially with the 'dude' thing. I don't think he realized how close he came to dying slowly and painfully because of that.

Still, it gave me time to get my bearings again, and kinda paid my smurfy brother back for putting up with all the aggravation involved in keeping my secret.

No matter the method, I had still wound up in the strong and sexy arms of the extraordinary man I loved, sharing unbelievably breathtaking kisses and wanting to share _much more_ with him, even though I knew that this was _way_ too soon.

Although I felt like I had known and loved him for years already, I had to repeatedly remind myself that Cole and I had just met a little over a month ago and had only declared our feelings to one another in the past couple of hours.

Of course, that was nearly impossible to keep in mind when his full and persistent lips were on mine, and I was quickly welcoming his probing tongue. It was a somewhat embarrassing metaphor for how easy it would be for him to claim all of me.

While I was enjoying everything I could about Cole's body—his tanginess on my tongue, his earthy scent, his muscular frame pressing into me—I did have a couple of attacks of conscience.

My prudish superego and my wanton id were busy screeching at each other, while my tolerant, but restrained, ego was enjoying 'The Arwyn and Cole Show' with popcorn and a lecherous leer.

Lotta help they were.

Being with him was a seriously dangerous thing, especially when Cole's possessive hands were roving all over me, and he was encouraging me to do the same to his smooth, hard body which continually informed me he was ready for action.

_Just a kiss… You don't need to rush this… Don't push it too far…_

Luckily, after making out a while in the bridge, I found that I wasn't going to be responsible for restraining both of us. Cole eventually slowed things down a bit, curiously, mentioning something about mustangs, and suggested we go somewhere less secluded, like the game room.

I gave him a cynical look and a quick, short laugh. "Not a chance."

Because of my previous self-critical mood and the sentence imposed on me by Chichi, I had planned on isolating myself and sleeping on the quarterdeck, weather permitting, to watch for falling stars to wish upon and listen to the rustle of the wind through the forest.

There was hardly a cloud in the sky, so I pulled the newly-aware possessor of my heart, and the baklava, out there onto the quilt with my pillow.

Waning toward its new phase, the third-quarter moon was a thumbnail in the clear, diamond-studded sky, which made conditions great for stargazing. And romance.

Looking around, and passing a hand through his now-tousled hair, the smoking–hot ninja did not seem confident that that was really any better. "This is still really isolated. And dark."

Under the dim light through the bridge window, we settled down cross-legged facing one another on the quilt with the dessert. Taking a shot at an innocent smile, I tried to reassure him. "I might be less likely to make an assault on your very uncommon virtue out here in the open than within the four walls of the bridge."

Reaching out, he pushed a long lock of my hair out of my face and securely behind my ear. Giving me an amused look, he replied in an unconvinced tone, "I'm more concerned about _myself_ making an assault on _your_ virtue…And how did you know I've never been with a woman?"

Swiping a digit through a small puddle of honey on the plate of baklava beside us, I touched it to his mouth, feeling a little frisson go through me as he parted his lips, touched his tongue to my finger, and gently sucked the sweet liquid from it.

I felt I could barely get the words out. "Oh, from the history you gave me, the very reverent way you treat me,…and," I grinned, "you just told me."

Chuckling, he, too, gathered a little honey with a finger and swept it very carefully over my lips. Leaning in slowly with a look of raw and earthy masculinity that took my breath away, he proceeded to teasingly lap it off of my slightly swollen lips with little flicks of his tongue.

A wave of heat flooded my body, followed by tingling at my core. I closed my eyes and heard him say huskily in between licks, "I've been waiting for you all my life…And I could be _quite_ disrespectful…if you'd like."

"Promises, promises…," I answered with a come-hither smile and heavily-lidded eyes. Grasping the front of his T-shirt, I met no resistance from the Spinjitzu Master as I lay back onto the pillow and easily pulled him down to me, leaving the golden confection forgotten.

Maybe he was right about the quarterdeck under the minimal moonlight and the dazzling stars being no safer for us than the bridge.

With both of us wrapped in the blanket later that night, I snuggled as close as I could possibly get to Cole, although I was far from cold. His arms around me were comforting and protective as he lay on his back, gazing up at the starlit sky.

"You must be exhausted from the day's training." He had turned his face toward mine, and his warm breath on my cheek sent pleasant little shivers down my back.

"Umm," I agreed, finding it hard to keep my eyes open now that I wasn't being stimulated. "I probably could have been asleep _hours_ ago if someone hadn't kept me up."

His light laugh reverberated in his chest against me. "I don't recall you resisting." He was quiet for a bit, then commented thoughtfully, "You said in the beginning that you had some trouble sleeping with the feelings of our elements. Is that still a problem?"

Yawning, I shook my head a little. "I've learned to condition myself to ignore the other three elements as best I can and concentrate on yours. Most of the time, it just surrounds me with a secure feeling. I pretend that it's you holding me in your arms." He was silent.

Lying there in his embrace with my head on his chest near his shoulder and a leg thrown between his, I could feel and hear the slow, rhythmic drumbeat under me. His fingertips idly massaged my scalp and stroked my hair as my breathing slowed.

Right before I drifted off, I heard him whisper in the darkness, "Tonight, my heart, neither of us will have to pretend." My dreams were heavenly.

It was dark-thirty when I woke to feel Cole shifting a bit under me, and heard Zane's quiet voice saying, "…told us what transpired in the bridge. Congratulations! But, then you did not come to your bed." His words assumed a hint of amused innuendo. "So…I suppose last night was a very good one for you?"

The earth ninja's arm tightened around my back, pulling me closer as he tensed and stretched, and I heard his low, sleepy rumble from his chest under my ear, "What clued you in, Snowflake? Your extra sense?"

Zane laughed quietly at his best friend's sarcasm. "More likely, perhaps, the woman in your arms." My warm body pillow responded with a little grunt of agreement, and I felt sculpted abs contract under my hand as he raised his head and kissed the top of mine.

Lifting one eyelid, I spied the man in white pajamas squatting in the dim, predawn light on the other side of Cole. "Good morning, Arwyn," he greeted me soothingly. He never missed a thing.

"Mornin', Zane." Dropping my lid again, I caught the edge of the quilt and pulled it up securely over my shoulder.

Even though I was fully-clothed, the early-morning chill in the desert air, as well as Zane's ever-present frost, had me almost shivering, although the ninja leader's muscular body was putting out nearly as much heat as Kai normally did.

My ebony-haired lover responded to my wakefulness by encircling me with both arms and easing me up more onto his sturdy chest and abdomen, where I could better look him in the face. He smiled drowsily at me from my pillow. "Good morning, my dearest heart and sun. I see you've risen for me."

"G'morning, my life's heart." Smiling back lazily, I kissed him on the chin, feeling his scratchy, new growth of beard. Adjusting my pelvis on his, I added, "I see you've risen for me, too."

Zane laughed aloud as Cole widened his amazing greenish-grey eyes and quickly rolled us onto our sides, most likely blushing furiously as he held me close and nuzzled my neck. I was simply delighting in the fact that one of my dreams had come true. I had finally awakened in his arms.

Giving us a moment together, the ice ninja stood and directed his view toward the top of the bridge, saying in a low voice, "I had endeavored to find and awaken you two before Sensei rose, but I failed. Our mentor is perched like a watchful bird of prey atop the roof of the bridge, feigning meditation."

_Hmm… Don't have to think hard to figure out why he's doing that today when he never normally goes up there._

Cole glanced upward coolly after sighing first with his forehead against my collarbone. "Ah, well. What better way to start the day than by having the father of the woman you just spent the night with catch you under the covers? I'd might as well get used to it. If I have my way, it _won't_ be the last time."

Throwing back the folded blanket and exposing us to the nippy air, he released me against my will, rose from the quilt and stood tall next to Zane in his rumpled T-shirt and shorts.

After bowing deeply, he called up to our teacher, "Good morning, Sensei! How's the weather up there?" Zane snorted when Cole got no response. He came back to me, holding out his hands to help me up with a crooked grin.

"How does he seem?" I asked a little nervously as I stood. Dragging my fingers through my 'bedhead' hair and straightening my clothes, I surveyed my hunky boyfriend. How did he still look so great, even disheveled?

Shrugging with a 'whatever' attitude, he declared, "Eh. I'm sure he's royally pissed off, but I can deal with it." His quirky smile all at once turned naughty.

Spontaneously grabbing me around the waist with his right hand, Cole tugged me swiftly to his torso, looking me straight in the eyes with a playful air and surprising me so that I gripped his shoulders to steady myself. He then cast a roguish look over Zane's head toward Chichi on the rooftop before giving me his full attention again.

With one arm around my waist and the other around my shoulders, he dipped me low to his left as though we'd been dancing, and claimed my mouth with a lengthy and sizzling 'good morning' kiss which left me clutching his shoulders, weak in the knees, and craving more.

After several moments, under what I'm sure was Chichi's critical scrutiny, the former performing-arts student came up for air. While still holding me in the dip, he ducked his head lower to drop a small, warm kiss on my cleavage, saying with certain assurance, "Though I'm positive _this'll_ get me called to the mat _well _before lunchtime."

Breathlessly viewing Zane's astounded countenance and raised eyebrow from upside-down, I could tell that he totally agreed.

And he was right.

The three of us had left our sensei to his before-sunrise 'meditation' and had run to our respective quarters to change into our uniforms before breakfast. Meeting up in the hallway a few minutes later, Cole planted a kiss on my cheek, and I happily took his proffered hand, as he escorted me the rest of the way down the hall to the dining room with a pleased Zane trailing behind us.

When I saw Sensei in his spot at the head of the table, my smile waned, and I self-consciously relaxed my hold on Cole's hand, expecting him to release mine to avoid incurring a negative response.

Instead of dropping it, he transferred my left hand from his right to his left, finally tucking it into the crook of his right elbow and covering it with his opposite hand. He answered my glance of mild surprise with a grin that set my mind at ease as we paraded into the dining room like we were going to a ball. _OMG, he is so sweet and romantic! But is he __**trying**__ to get a rise out of Sensei?_

Despite our entrance, I had hoped to fly in under the radar and not draw attention to our new status in front of our possibly-moody mentor, especially after Cole's amorous display on the quarterdeck, but Lloyd didn't get that memo.

Jumping up from his place at the table, he ran to us in high spirits, hugging me around the waist as Cole watched the elated boy with satisfaction. "Arwyn! I'm so glad you're staying, and I'm so glad Cole finally asked you to be his girlfriend!"

Letting go of me as I laughed nervously and tried not to make eye contact with Chichi, he turned expectantly to Cole. "Can I go to Miyagi, too? I've never been there, and I never get to go anywhere! And I won't be any trouble! _Please?"_ He punctuated that with a beseeching tilt of his blonde head.

Cole's gorgeous smile turned into a little, thinly-veiled grimace as he looked down on Lloyd. "Um, we haven't exactly finalized plans for that, yet." Steering me around the head of the table and behind Sensei to my seat, he added, "We'll see…," then strolled to his own seat next to Lloyd, never once looking at our teacher.

Wu simply continued to help himself to Kai's waffles, smearing them with peanut butter while surreptitiously cutting his eyes toward Cole briefly and nodding as we bowed to him in greeting before sitting.

Things stayed low-key for the rest of the meal. The only other acknowledgements to our new relationship came from Nya giving my hand a squeeze with a giddy giggle, and Cole sending back a thumbs-up to one Kai flashed him.

We thought we had misjudged our sensei when he got up from the table after his meal, taking his leave with a bow and a wish for a good day and then walking toward the exit. That is, until he stopped in the doorway and called back over his shoulder, "I should like for you to meet me in my quarters after morning training just before lunch, Cole, to discuss…the trip to Miyagi." _Oh, crap_…

The aforementioned ninja looked directly at me, without turning toward his teacher, working hard to hold back a laugh. "Of _course_, Sensei."

****Cole's POV**

"It's about time you man-upped and told her!" Kai smacked me hard on my bare back as I pulled my sleeveless running shirt over my head in the bunkroom. "Nice fingernail marks there, too." I jerked the shirt down to my waist quickly and shot him a hard glare for the stinging blow, feeling my face heat up at the same time.

He had just finished cleaning up his breakfast mess in the kitchen and joined Zane, Jay, and me as we changed our clothes to go for our morning run. "I don't know why you didn't say something sooner after wigging out when I kissed her. I _thought_ your reaction about that was a little much just because she was a new teammate."

Leaning against the armoire, he crossed his arms over his chest as he considered me. "I even tried goading you into making a move every now and then by crowding her space …"

"Yeah, it was funny to see that!" Jay slapped his knee, laughing as he did warm-up stretches. "I was watching you for clues to how you felt about Arwyn. It was like watching a wildlife documentary on that animal channel!"

Taking on the accent of a narrator, he pretended he was holding a microphone, and gestured first to me, then to Kai. "And here we have the dominant, primal male possessively marking his territory and assuming a threatening stance as the upstart challenger circles the female, attempting to gain her acceptance in order to continue his line of DNA…"

"Seriously, Jay?" My brows knit. I wasn't possessive…Well, maybe I was doing the protective, alpha-male thing a _little_.

Zane strapped his shurikens to his arms as Arwyn had done yesterday. "I thought something might be going on. Your sex pheromone levels have stayed elevated since you met Arwyn, especially when you are around her." He squinted one eye at me. "They are often off the chart. Like this morning."

"Good _God_, Zane!" I slapped my palm against my forehead. "Is there a switch to turn that _off_ once in a while?!"

He chuckled as he sat on his bunk. "If there is, I am _not _telling you."

Kai continued with his original line of thought, adjusting his comlink on his wrist as he said, "But I wasn't really sure until the Serpentine attack. You fought too much like I do, off-the-cuff, more aggressive than usual, merciless. From the way you were so fiercely protective, trying to kill every Serpentine single-handedly, I figured then it wasn't about her being the Green Ninja anymore. I just hate that you're always gonna have Sensei on your back now. _But_," he finished gleefully, "better you than me!"

Bending over to tie my trail-running shoes, with one eye on the fire ninja in case he hit me again, I tried to be flip about the subject. "It won't be anything new. He's actually been on my back since the day after I spent the night at her place."

"Well, I hope you know it's only going to get worse," he continued, making no effort to be optimistic. "Especially after you _slept_ with her last night! Hoo, boy, you really have _big_ cojones to do that!" I thought I detected a hint of admiration in his voice.

"I did _not_ _**sleep**_ with Arwyn!" I denied forcefully, following quietly under my breath with, "Although it came damn close a couple times…" Louder, I added, "We just _slept_ on the deck."

"Yeah, whatever you say, chief. I'm sure that doesn't make a difference to _her __**fa-ther**_." Kai had a skeptical expression. "And I caught that footnote, by the way."

"That's why you get to go have 'The Talk' with Daddy in his quarters!" Jay cheerfully crowed. "And then you get to meet her _other_ daddy in a few days! How lucky can a guy get?!'

"It'll be no big deal. I can handle it," I hoped as I strapped a tanto to my calf. "And I'm glad I've been such a great source of entertainment for the bunch of you lately."

Kai viewed me suspiciously. "You're not going to be subjecting me to your make-out sessions in between sparring matches and lessons, are you?"

Acting offended, I strode for the door to the hallway. "Of course there'll be none of that during training! I don't care to make out with Arwyn in front of you any more than you care to see it!" Opening the wooden bunkroom door with a grin, I threw back over my shoulder, "However, the game room in between video games _is_ neutral territory…"

Hopping up the steps to the main deck to meet Arwyn a moment later, I had to ask myself again what everyone else was asking—Why the hell did I wait so long?! I swear I felt like my heart would burst from sheer happiness and pride when I looked at her and remembered the night we'd just shared and the feeling I got when I realized she was actually mine now.

I had lain awake last night long after she'd fallen asleep thinking about how marvelous the world was now that I knew that she loved me, and I had finally gotten my 'secret' off of my chest. If it weren't for the damned Garmadon-and-Serpentine thing, everything might be perfect.

Out of habit, I cast a glance around for signs of Sensei Wu as I walked briskly to where Arwyn stood at the starboard gunwale, stretching her hamstrings as she waited for the Masters to accompany her on an early morning run through the forest.

She straightened with her back to me as I approached her from behind, putting her head back on my shoulder when I encircled her waist with my arms. Neither of us said anything or made a move for a moment until she turned her face up to mine.

I took that as an invitation and was in the middle of enjoying a slow and sensual kiss with her when I heard Kai's annoying whine behind us. "Oh, great, here they go already! I thought you said we weren't gonna have to be seeing any of this?"

Pulling back a touch, I mumbled against her lips, "Hold me back, 'cause I may have to kill him soon."

Arwyn snorted with amusement. "I just may hold him down for you."

When she began to detach herself from me, I pulled her back by the hand. "Hey, one thing before we take off…" She waited patiently with a thoughtful expression. "Um…this evening I'd like to take you on a picnic supper…to that spot in the woods that you like so much." I don't know why I felt so nervous saying that. "I mean, _if_ you'd like to go with me."

Stepping up close to me until our chests were brushing, she said coyly, "Cole, baby, after what we almost did last night, would you _really_ think I wouldn't want to go somewhere, _anywhere_, with you?"

Her hand eased itself teasingly under the hem of my shirt, and her fingertips circled my navel. "Yes, I would absolutely _love_ to be alone in the woods with you." _I may have to postpone my run._

Smiling as she turned away and followed Jay over the gunwale to the anchor chain, it occurred to me that I had just asked Arwyn out on our first date. Then something else hit me. I hadn't had a moment to plan a menu!

"Uh, Zane?" I grabbed the ice ninja's arm as he neared me to climb over the side. "I'm gonna need a little advice…"

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Drop me a line in the box below! Namaste!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: No Ninjago owning, just my OCs. Sorry this took nearly 2 weeks, but I've been away on vacation:)  
**

**Shout-out to my loyal readers/latest reviewers! Thank you so much, birthdaypi, ForestBornNinjaGirl, HersheyChocolates101, Blackrose Fighter, stupidvariousreasons, Ninjago Luver 4ever, Iheartninjago2010, and Song of Hope! Your support makes my day, and week, etc.! **

**And thank you to all the other wonderful readers out there! I hope you're all still enjoying my story! This chappie is super-fluffy, but other stuff will come later. Let me know what you all think about it! **

**Also, I have a poll on my profile about what type of narration is preferred, 1st or 3rd person, to help guide me in writing my next story. Please vote!**

**Chapter 32**

****Cole's POV**

Our morning training had been hard and intense, but I made things harder on myself since my mind kept rewinding to last night and early this morning every time I looked at Arwyn. Focusing on the tasks at hand hadn't been easy until she had pulled up a little short on a roundhouse kick to keep from taking my head off, just clipping my forehead and knocking the dreamy look off of my face, instead.

I had gotten it all together after that and had no other near-disastrous moments.

The morning had turned out to be a hot one, and I was wiping my brow on my black jacket sleeves and combing my sweat-dampened hair with my fingers before taking a deep breath and tapping lightly on Sensei's wooden door.

We both knew why he had asked me to meet him, and it wasn't all about the upcoming trip to Miyagi. I was also pretty sure that he had told me at breakfast to come just before lunch, instead of sooner, because he had wanted me to have plenty of time to consider my recent behavior with Arwyn before I got here, just to try to make me sweat.

Well, it had worked. I had thought a lot about it all morning, when I wasn't thinking about my night with Arwyn, giving me another reason that it had been tough to focus on training. I wasn't afraid of the older man, but I did hold him in the highest regard, sometimes awe.

I didn't want to piss him off or disappoint him in any way, but I _had_ grasped the fact that lustily covering his daughter in hot kisses right in front of him was likely to do both.

Amazingly, my soul's mate, the love of my life, was now by my side, admitting that I meant as much to her as she did to me, and we could now show our affection for one another like any other loving couple.

Still, I knew I had better tone it down a bit in front of Sensei instead of rubbing his nose in it before he was rubbing _my_ nose in something.

I was thinking my recent activities could possibly get my tail kicked. There were very few people in all of Ninjago who could even come _close_ to doing that to me, but I had no doubt the younger son of the First Spinjitzu Master would do it in an epic way.

When I heard his call for me to enter his chambers, I opened the door and stepped inside, the pungent and invigorating scent of cedar incense wafting over me right away. Bowing respectfully to him with a newfound humility to offset my renewed confidence and optimistic outlook on life, I announced my entrance, "Sensei, you asked me to meet you…"

Removing the tea ball infuser from the blue pot on the counter, he turned to me, nodding his bald pate. "Indeed, Cole. Thank you for coming. I believe we need to discuss plans for Arwyn's visit to her…parents." He had paused before saying the last word, and I imagined that it was still difficult for him to accept that he had ever given her up to be raised by someone else. He turned his attention back to his tea accessories. "I _assume_ you two spoke last night of plans to go to Miyagi?"

I knew he knew he was putting me on the spot. "Of course," I lied. Aside from exploring our new relationship in a very physical way—a lot—, she and I hadn't actually said much about anything last night other than how much we loved each other. And although I had spent most of the morning mulling over this meeting with Sensei, I hadn't really yet come up with any concrete plans, expecting that I would get a moment with Arwyn to hash it out. I hadn't gotten a moment.

"And they would be…" He studied me benevolently as he carried his tea tray to the tatami mat. I was gonna have to come up with something on the fly and hope she accepted the plans without a problem later.

Going down into seiza as my mentor did the same while handing me a steaming cup of an amber, mango-scented liquid, I brushed my damp hair off of my brow again, and made a plausible start, "Well, she hasn't had time to call them yet, but if her parents can accommodate us, we'll leave tomorrow morning or the next, whichever is better for them."

"Alone?" He was putting me to the test. He knew very well I was making all this up as I went.

"No, Zane will accompany us, as well as Lloyd, I suppose." _Sorry, Zane. I hope you don't mind._ "Jay and Kai will stay here with the Fang Blades and Nya, and I'm guessing you'll want the _Bounty_ to stay in the wide, open area to enable any approaching vehicles to be quickly spotted and identified on radar." I wasn't doing so badly. "Will you be coming with us?"

Taking a swig from his cup, he looked away from me for a moment before answering. "As much as I wish to reunite with the couple to whom I entrusted my baby daughter, I am not certain that I am ready for that, and I also think I should stay with the damnable Blades since you will be gone for a few days." He raised a brow in question. "Correct?"

Somehow I maintained a straight face, since I'd never heard Sensei utter anything close to a profanity. "Uh, yeah. Miyagi's about two-and-a-half hours away, and we'll probably spend two nights there before leaving."

My expression turned serious as I looked him in the eye and added, "I'd also like to take her to Castor to meet my father. It's just over an hour's travel from Miyagi and two hours from here. We wouldn't stay the night, just go for a couple of hours, and then head home."

My teacher's steady gaze narrowed on mine. "You wish her to meet your father?" I knew he was then comprehending just how serious I really was about Arwyn.

"Yes, Sensei," I answered his spoken and unspoken questions. "He has issues with me committing to anyone because of something with my mother. I want him to know how wonderful Arwyn is and how happy I am. I'm hoping he can be at peace about it." _But he'll probably just do a lot of yelling._

"Um, hmm." He nodded slowly while he refilled his teacup. "It is undeniably evident to me that you are extremely happy. Your aura is the brightest I have ever seen it, even more so than when you reached your true potential."

_An aura?_ "I have an aura?" I blinked at his bewildering statement. "What does it look like?"

"For all of the elemental masters, it is usually their corresponding color. Yours, however, although it had recently gotten quite grey, is back to its original rich purple."

A broad smile creased my face. "Purple. Arwyn's favorite color…I suppose hers is green?"

He dipped his bare head in confirmation. "Yes, and as of today, it is also fringed in gold. Which indicates to me that she shares your deep feelings of love and devotion."

Joy welled up in me, making me smile even more, but his next remark dampened things some.

"Which brings me to the _other_ reason I wished to speak to you this morning."

_Ah, damn. Here it comes… _I bowed my head over my fragrant tea and squeezed my eyes closed, my black bangs hiding my aversion for his upcoming lecture.

It didn't matter if I wanted to hear it or not, getting straight to the point was a strong suit of Sensei's. "It is understandable that you and she would be euphoric over your acknowledgement of your feelings for one another and wish to express these emotions, publically and," he paused, making me fidget, "…privately."

_Why, oh, why can't he keep this short and sweet? Something like, 'keep it in your pants' or 'don't pull your pistol from its holster'? _

He placed his cup on the mat next to him, and I could feel his eyes boring into the top of my head. "But, speaking from experience, I believe I need to stress that restraint is essential."

Sighing inwardly, I thought, _Ah, well, may as well take this like a man, _and raised my head to meet his stern eye.

"Unlike with most couples, at this point, one self-gratifying moment for you may mean ruin for Ninjago. You have a responsibility to ensure that the prophesy regarding Arwyn overcoming the dark evil is brought to fruition." Wu's brown eyes never blinked as he spoke.

"Of course, Sensei, but—." He raised his hand to quiet me and continued.

"Although I _am_ relating some of this as her _father_," he glared a little at me there, "another reason is that I have had a vision which I believe I should share with you."

_Great._ Although I wasn't looking forward to what he had to impart, since his visions didn't always portend optimistic outlooks, I gave Sensei my full attention.

He laid it on me. "This first occurred about four months ago. Then a week ago I was revisited by a better-defined version of the same. A vision of a male child to be born from the union of the Green Ninja and an elemental Spinjitzu master whose powers will ultimately surpass those of his mother."

_Whhaaaa_…I stared at him in shock while I think I felt my heart skip a couple of beats. "Holy…crap…a _baby?!" _His mustache twitched at my language. A slow smile began to stretch across my face. _Arwyn and I will have_… "A _baby!"_

Sensei was sipping his tea when a small amount of alarm and doubt highlighted a phrase he had spoken. "_'__**An**__ elemental Spinjitzu master'? _ It _**is **_the Master of _Earth_, right?!"

My honorable mentor rolled his eyes and waved a hand up and down in my direction. "Don't get your giblets twisted. The child in my vision resembled you so strongly there is no question of his paternity."

I sighed with relief. My mind was racing over thoughts of a bright future for us, but before it got underway with creating plans for setting up a nursery in the bunkroom, I stopped it, looking quickly at my future son's future grandfather. "Wait. When?"

With a raised brow and a tilt of his head, he replied slowly, "_That_ is what causes me concern. _And_ it is dependent on _your_ behavior."

_In other words, I'll be setting limits I __**can't**__ push past, and taking __**lots **__of cold showers until our mission is accomplished. Indefinitely. __**Damn**__ Garmadon for screwing with our lives!_

Letting things sink in a bit for me, he was quiet for a moment before he said, "As the leader of the elemental masters, you have always borne a large amount of responsibility on your shoulders. By entering into this relationship with Arwyn, you have had even more thrust upon you."

Sitting up straighter, I replied resolutely, "I welcome it, Sensei."

"Then we understand each other?"

"Yes, Sensei. Perfectly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The picnic basket, a folded blanket, and the Scythe of Quakes rested on the wooden deck at my feet as I leaned on my elbows on the starboard gunwale railing. While I waited for Arwyn to meet me, I was thinking about the past day and watching the tops of the pines on the edge of the forest sway back and forth in the breeze like paintbrushes being pushed across a blue canvas, crowned by the soon-to-set sun.

My meeting with Sensei had been a real earth-shaking eye-opener, just as he had intended, and had given me something else to distract me during our afternoon training.

After receiving a nice, new bruise on my forearm from barely stopping Jay's nunchuks from cracking my jaw, I had called an end to the day's training so I could get with Zane and put together a meal for my date with Arwyn.

He had helped me make a few choices for the menu, and then assisted as sous-chef while I got everything ready. It went off without a hitch, after which I had cleaned up and dressed casually in a slim-fitting, short-sleeved shirt of dark-apricot rayon that buttoned down the front, along with khaki shorts and river sandals.

Without understanding why, I was getting really antsy about taking Arwyn out alone. I wasn't worried about anything that might accost us in the woods, but I _was_ anxious about the date itself. I understood my butterflies a little more when I heard her call to me from the portal to the stairwell, and turned to greet her.

Wearing her hair down, the long curls rested on the shoulders of her white top, which was formfitting, low-cut, and short-sleeved, like something I'd seen ballet dancers wear. It fit like a glove, outlining her trim waist and small, but wonderful breasts.

She was also wearing a full, ankle-length skirt of a thin, silky, lavender material which enabled me to see the silhouette of her legs with any light behind her. It was a wrap-around with a jagged hem, and it fluttered with the breeze, revealing a slender, muscular leg to about mid-thigh as she approached me silently on bare feet, her sandals in one hand.

I soon noticed that my throat felt so tight I could barely take a breath. "Y-You wore…ah… a _skirt_?" My shorts were feeling a little constrictive, too.

She was genuinely gorgeous as she smiled back at me. "Well, it's a picnic, and it's almost summer, and I never get to wear it." She did a quick turn on her toes, the garment flowing like gossamer around her legs. Her happy gaze at me changed to a worried one. "Do you not like it?"

_Oh, God, I'm gonna be in trouble in more ways than one._

Nodding enthusiastically, I briskly reassured her. _ "_Oh, yeah! I-I like it alright! You look beautiful!" I choked out. "B-but it's too easy."

She gave me a puzzled look as she kissed me lightly on the corner of my mouth. "'Too easy'? For what?"

Picking up the basket by its handle, I strategically placed it in front of my zipper. "…Never mind…"

Laughing with a roll of her eyes, Arwyn said, "That's _not_ why I wore it!" Pushing the basket aside, she playfully put her arms around my neck, pressing her luscious body against mine, and reconsidered, "But that's _not_ a bad idea…"

"Ohh…_yes_, it is!" Even as I tried to contradict her last remark with a laugh, I found my free arm sneaking itself around her waist and holding her securely to me. Ducking my head, I engaged her in a brief, but thorough kiss that had her holding me by the hair when I tried to come back up, then pulling me back down for another, longer one. _Oh, how I love this woman…_

When she let loose of me, and I brought my dazed gaze up again, there was Sensei, walking by with Lloyd at the stern, making me wince a tad. _Sorry, Sensei, but you can't expect me to __**never**__ touch her._

Guiding Arwyn toward the anchor chain, I said, "Uh, let's go before we lose too much daylight." _And before Wu sends a chaperon with us._ Waving to Jay in the bridge, I got the signal that the radar was clear, and we headed down, ladies first, of course, so I didn't have the temptation to look up her skirt…'Cause I would have.

****Arwyn's POV**

Hand in hand, Cole and I made the nearly ten-minute walk to the forest glade without tarrying for 'breaks'. I would have liked to, but we only had about two hours before the sun set, and its golden beams were already slashing through the closely-growing timbers at a sharp angle.

As we ambled along, enjoying the scenery and each other's company, he told me about his adventures in Ninjago City the day before with Zane and Kai, including how Kai had met, and fallen for, Renata.

Although I had not yet met my Italian-speaking friend in person, I felt like I already knew tons about her from the non-stop crowing my blazing-hot brother had been doing all day during training. It made me happy to listen to him, even when it got a little repetitious.

When I questioned Cole about his meeting with Sensei, he related to me the plans he had thrown together to visit my parents.

"I hope it's alright with you that I arranged all that without consulting you first," he offered a little remorsefully. "Sensei had me in a corner, and I didn't want him to know we'd never talked about it…or anything else."

Squeezing his hand and grinning up at him, I let him off the hook. "It doesn't matter at all to me. Planning is your forte, anyway." Knowing how our cooler brother usually was about wanting to see Sofiya nearly every day, I asked, "Is Zane okay with coming with us?"

Cole grinned with a little regret. "Yeah. He was a little upset that he'll have to be away from her for a few days, but he understands what this means to us, and he's a great friend, so he's alright with it."

"I called my parents at lunch time, and let them know I'd finally be able to get a break to visit, and that I'd be bringing at least one friend, so they're happy and looking forward to whenever and whomever." I was quiet as we walked a few yards down the path before adding with a twinge of guilt, "They still don't know."

"Arwyn…," he began with a chiding tone.

"I know, I know!" Answering with a little impatience, I pointed accusingly at him, "But _you_ did the same with _your_ father, and for a _lot_ longer, so no lectures, mister."

He sighed. "Touche`…And speaking of my father…" He pressed my hand tightly, tension evident on his features. "I want to take you to meet him after we leave Miyagi. He already knows about you as a teammate…I want him to know about _us_."

I met his gaze with a pang of uncertainty in my abdomen and a swelling of elation in my chest. I knew how hard this was for him, and if he was willing to do it, I knew what I meant to him. I was going to do everything I could to win over the father of this amazing man I adored. "I would love to meet him."

Smiling with relief as the tension disappeared from his face, Cole pulled me in closer and kissed me on the forehead as we arrived at the meadow in the forest. Observed keenly through new eyes in love, it was more beautiful than I remembered, although I had ogled it when we had passed it on our run this morning.

The flowers, ferns, and grasses reflected the bright shafts of the late-afternoon sunlight as I unfurled the blanket and let it settle in a flat, clear area next to a large, thick patch of purple violets. I knelt on one corner of the coverlet, watching as Cole carefully set the picnic basket on the edge of the fabric and placed his scythe in the grass. "What else did you and Chichi talk about?"

I caught his quick, sidelong glance at me. "I'll tell you in a little while, but first things first," he responded as he knelt and lifted the lid of the basket.

_Surely, he's not_…Looking at him like he was crazy for just second, I impulsively pushed him away from the basket and tackled him to the blanket, crying, "Oh, no, you don't! We're a half mile from everybody, and you're worried about filling your _belly_?!"

Kneeling by his side, I had him pinned on his back with my hands on his shoulders, about to straddle his waist, when I remembered we weren't sparring, and that, in a skirt, it would be quite unladylike.

He had grabbed me on each side of my ribcage and was holding me away from him as he laughingly protested, "No, no, no! I wasn't after the food! There's something _else_ in there!"

Raising a brow, I glanced distrustfully at the wicker basket. "There's nothing alive in that thing, is there?"

While I was sidetracked, the scheming ninja used it to his advantage when he pushed himself up quickly and rolled me lightly onto my back. "Nothing that bites," he said with a sly grin before he lowered his face to the side of my neck, nibbling the tender skin with his teeth and growling softly in jest.

My laugh transformed to a soft moan as his arms encircled me, and I pulled him further down to meet me.

After a few minutes of 'nonverbal communication', Cole sat up suddenly with a flushed countenance, starting in a raspy voice, "Like in my dream…" Pausing with a ragged sigh, he tried again, "'Scuze me. Much as I _hate_ to say this, we need to save this for later and get to other things for a minute."

_Darn it._ "Right," I concurred reluctantly, sitting up and running my hands through my hair to fluff and detangle. "Whatcha got?"

As he rummaged through the basket, Cole happily explained, "I did some shopping while I was in Ninjago City yesterday, and got you a little something."

"Oh, baby, I don't have anything for _you_!" I whined as he proudly handed me a shallow, white box with a lid.

"Shh. Don't do that. Just check it out," he instructed as I took it from him and removed the lid, pulling out two graphic novels and a set of colored-and-graphite sketch pencils.

Examining my gifts, I exclaimed with delight, "'ElvishQuest'! You found the issue I couldn't get last month, and the newest one, too! You even knew my pencils were nubs!" I rose up on my knees to thank him with a kiss on the cheek. "You were so sweet to think about me! Thank you!"

Drawing away from me a little while putting one arm around my waist, he held up a small, black-velvet jewelry box between us. "This came with them." My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes became saucer-like, causing Cole to shake his head and quickly inform me, "It's not a ring, so don't be scared!"

I wasn't disappointed, but the thought instantly occurred to me that I also wasn't frightened by that prospect _at all_. I reached for the black container, but he was already flipping it open it with his thumb, revealing a pair of exquisite ruby-and-amethyst earrings that sparkled in the sun's light.

My hands flew up to cover my open mouth, and tears were suddenly welling in my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks unexpectedly as I stared at the precious gems. I don't think that's what Cole anticipated.

"Ohmigod! Don't cry! I'm sorry! I thought you'd like them!" His other arm went around me as he hurriedly snapped the box closed and pulled me against his chest, rubbing my back with his empty hand. "They're our birthstones, they made me think of us!"

I buried my face in his shoulder for a moment, wetting his shirt with my tears, listening to his dismayed words of further apology before I could take a breath and look up at him again.

"N-no, no, don't apologize!" I wiped the tears from my cheeks with both hands. "I love them! They're beautiful! I've never been given anything so beautiful! You're so wonderful, and I was thinking just yesterday that you may have hated me! And I still can't believe it, but you l-love me! I can't believe that I have you, and you're so w-wonderful!" I was rambling and couldn't stop myself, but Cole could.

His lips silenced mine in a gentle kiss that comforted me, conveying that, yes, he did love me tremendously, whether I believed it or not. Slowly ending the kiss after a few moments, he still held me in his embrace as he whispered against my cheek, "Does this mean you'll wear them?"

"Every minute that I can," I whispered back, resting my head on his damp shoulder again, and enjoying the same feeling of safety and contentment I had had the first time I had asked to be held by him.

He held the little box open where I could easily see the earrings again, saying, "When I first saw the amethysts in the antique jewelry shop, I just liked them because they were your favorite color. I know that sounds kinda cheesy. But then I discovered that was your birthstone, and it's surrounded by mine. It's like saying that I love you, and I want to always protect you and be with you."

He broke off a second when I reached for the earrings. "Just like I _hope_ you'll always want to be with me."

"Forever and always, my heart," came my unhesitating response. There were no words to describe how much I loved this man. But I was gonna try.

After adorning my earlobes with the gemstone studs, I took the earth ninja's hands in mine and earnestly held his gaze. "I've been thinking, and I have some things I want to say about a couple of comments you made last night. I'm not really very good at this, but just sit and listen, okay?" He nodded intently, and clasped my hands firmly, like he was willing me fortitude.

"First of all, I need to repeat that _I will never willingly leave you._ Wherever your home is, there my home will be, whether it's on the _Bounty_ or elsewhere." Cole closed his greenish-grey eyes and inhaled sharply. I hoped he was understanding that I was vowing to never replicate his mother's mistakes. Ever.

"Whatever road you choose to follow, I will be there with you. I won't walk ahead, because _you_ are the leader." He had opened his eyes again, and a corner of his mouth was curving up in the beginnings of a faint grin. "But, I don't want to follow _behind _you, either," I stressed, "I want to walk beside you for all time."

"Another thing—you said that you have nothing to offer me. That is so untrue. You are everything to me. Material possessions, status, wealth—I could have those things with another man, but they're not what I need or want. You are the only one I could ever want, the only one I'll ever need."

Grinning more, he muttered, "Good thing, 'cause what you see is about all I've got."

I shoved his shoulder with a half-serious frown. "I _said_ sit and listen!" Assuming a somber expression with difficulty, he pressed his lips into a straight line and sat up straighter as I tried to get back to my mental notes.

"And in conclusion,…since your attention span is waning rapidly…" He cocked an eyebrow at me. "…You make me feel beautiful and powerful. It's like you try to make me think I'm the most important person in the world, when, in actuality, you are."

Smiling gently, Cole brought my hands to his lips and kissed my fingers. "I don't want you to ever believe less of yourself," I finished. "And I love you."

Still holding me by one hand, my herculean Adonis pulled me toward him, meeting me halfway. Our kiss was slow and sweet, and shorter than I would have liked, since he pulled away after a little while, looking down to see that I had stealthily undone the first four buttons of his shirt while he was preoccupied.

With my fingers spread out on his chest over the light scattering of soft, straight hair that led temptingly downward, I caught his wry smile and arched eyebrow when he lifted his head. Grinning coyly, I laughed a little, "Heh…sorry, but I've been wanting to do this since I met you on the deck. You're lucky I didn't jerk it open and pop the buttons off."

Taking me by the wrists, and leaving the shirt unbuttoned, he replied, "Yeah, well, I've been wanting to do several things to you, too, but I think that leads me to sharing with you the rest of my talk with Chi—uh, Sensei." He sat down on the blanket cross-legged and tugged me down across from him, holding my hands in his.

Not mincing words, he began, "To be blunt, I got the don't-get-my-daughter-knocked-up-before-she-fulfil ls-her-destiny-or-I-will–kill-you talk." I grimaced at the thought of _that_ awkward meeting, and the thought that he might have another one coming.

He seemed a little uncomfortable. "And honestly, much as it pains me, it has made me do some thinking." _Uh, oh_… "As much as I love you, as much as I want to, we're not ready for what we almost did last night."

Catching my dubious look, he held up a hand. "Physically, yes! Emotionally, yes! With our present reality…no." He was suddenly serious and making a lot of sense. It almost had me feeling shame for trying to undress him. Almost.

Clutching my hands securely, his demeanor was solemn. "You have Garmadon to defeat, and I have a responsibility to help you achieve that in every way I possibly can. If we do something to share our love and satisfy ourselves, and we create life, that would be a wonderful and awesome thing, but the timing might be incredibly bad."

_What is he getting at?_

"Sensei told me about a vision he'd had…of his future grandchild." Delight shone in his eyes. My mouth dropped open. "A boy who will be even more powerful than _you're_ supposed to be. His father will be an elemental master. Sensei swears the child looked just like me…" Cole glanced sideways with a fretful frown, murmuring, "I hope he wasn't just saying that…"

It took me a moment to catch my breath and find my voice. When I did, I leaned forward and looked him directly in the eyes, saying joyfully, "Are you serious? A _baby_? We're going to have a _baby?!"_ When he nodded with a little grin, I added indignantly, "And who the heck _else_ would you think would be the father?!"

Throwing my arms around his neck, I pushed him backward onto the blanket, going down with him, lying on his abdomen with one leg between his. "We're going to have a son!"

With his arms around my waist, he laughed. "One day! But the reason I just told you all of this was to explain why we can't do anything that'll make him come too soon!"

"I know, but that doesn't mean we can't do _this_, does it?" Placing both hands into his open shirt, I slid them on bare skin on either side of his torso and up under his shoulder blades, bowing my head to nuzzle his chest and lightly bite over his right pectoral.

Groaning lightly, he pressed me snugly to him. "Well, maybe we can do some of that…" He tensed suddenly under me. _"What the __**hell**__?!"_

Knowing I hadn't bitten him hard, I jerked my head up to see that he was staring over my shoulder into the sky. Following his line of sight, I caught the sudden motion of Merlin as he was coming out of a sweeping glide at the end of the glade, heading back in our direction.

"Unbelievable!" Irritated, Cole shot the bird the bird as I rolled to his side. "Kai and Zane are supposed to be going out tonight! Why are they screwing with us?"

When I fired a small snowball toward the falcon that passed just to the side of his head when he soared over us, Cole criticized, "Damn! You need more practice! You missed him!"

I faced him crossly. "That was a warning! Do you really want me to knock Merlin out of the sky? I don't think Zane would be very easy-going about _that_."

As the mechanical bird swooped in a semi-circle at the other end of the clearing, Cole reached for the comlink on his wrist, casting me a scowling look. "Why do you call it 'Merlin'?"

I shrugged. "He needed a name, and he kinda reminds me of the merlin hawk."

Turning his attention to the comlink, he punched in the bridge's number and waited for the open-connection light before yelling, "Call off the bird, Zane! And, all of you, quit spying on us! There's nothing to see here!"

He was answered by Kai's cackling. "You're right, Cole! There's still too much clothing in the way! And I think you're supposed to undress the girl before _you_ do!" This was followed by peals of laughter from his accomplices in the bridge.

Zane's voice piped up next, "You have been off the ship for over an hour, and you have still not even removed the food from the picnic basket?" He guffawed with amusement. "If you intended to only make out the entire time, perhaps you should have just packed chips and soda!" More laughter followed.

"Et tu, Zane?" Cole called back as Merlin flew in figure-eights above us. Throwing a friendly wave to the camera, I lay on my back at his side to watch the lovely flight and listen to the teasing exchange between the brothers.

"So, Cole," Jay inquired, "how much is the video worth to you before it goes to Sensei Wu?"

Cole growled aggressively into the comlink, "How much are your _**teeth **_worth to you, Sparky?" The three Masters on the other end howled with laughter.

Their merriment was short-lived. "_What_ is going on in here?! Zane, turn off that bird! And you guys get _out_ of here, and—" Nya's angry voice was heard right before the connection was abruptly cut off.

With a huff, Cole collapsed onto his back next to me on the blanket. I chuckled, watching Merlin soar out of the clearing, heading toward the _Bounty_. "I guess that's what it's like to have pesky little brothers. We should never lack for surveilling escorts. Better than self-control, right?"

Raising himself on one elbow and leaning over me with the other arm, Cole lost the stern look and smirked. "Oh, there'll come a time…"

He kissed my bottom lip, nipping it a bit. "…when we'll be alone…"

His lips moved to my cheek. "…no one else will be around…"

My neck received a kiss. "…to interrupt us…"

Then my collarbone. "…in the right place…"

Then a spot on my chest just above my low collar. "…at the right time…"

Before he went any lower, I caught his head and pulled him back up to look at me, pecking him lightly on the mouth. "Then one of us will remember our little son…"

His brows knitted in pretend annoyance. "Geez, the little ankle-biter's not even conceived yet, and he's already interrupting us? How's that gonna work?"

Matter-of-factly, I said, "Well, your idea is to avoid his conception until after I fight Garmadon, right?" He just looked away from me. Visited by a disturbing thought, I asked quietly. "What if something happens to me at that time, and we were never together?"

He faced me, answering quickly and frankly. "Then we'd both die virgins, 'cause by the time anything would happen to you, I'd already have been killed fighting to protect you." All I could do was stare at him in silence as he stared back.

Finally breaking the tension, Cole reached up and pushed my hair away from the side of my face, exposing my ear with its new jewelry. "You make these stones even more beautiful." Caressing my cheek with the back of his hand, he added, "I'm famished. Let's eat before it gets dark."

**A/N: Kind of abrupt ending, but it had to end somewhere. The next chapter should be called "Meet the Parents", although I don't name them. It will also include someone else's POV since our hero and heroine won't be able to narrate at one point... Please review! Please vote! Please have a great week! Namaste!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Only own OCs and story, no Lego Ninjago!**

**Wow, this chappie got wordy! I didn't expect to start it where it did, and I had to end it way before I expected to do so, so I didn't make it to Cole's father, or the other person's POV. Saving that for the next chapter! **

**Thank you all for the out-pouring of support! I appreciate EVERY reader, but particular shout-out thanks go to my wonderful and loving reviewers in no particular order: Blackrose Fighter, birthdaypi, Iheartninjago2010, Song Of Hope, stupidvariousreasons, KimberleyKai, PantherGhoul247, Ninjago Luver 4ever, ForestBornNinjaGirl, and HersheyChocolates101. You don't know how much encouragement and happiness you bring me!  
**

**Chapter 33**

**(First-date picnic continued)**

****Arwyn's POV**

I felt like a huge boulder had dropped into my stomach. The thought had occurred to me before, and I had dismissed it, but now I had Cole assuring me in no uncertain terms that he would defend me to his death, if the situation called for it. I had to consider that there was actually a possibility that he could die.

I couldn't stand to think of it. The pain in my stomach moved up into my chest when I did. I might be a nurse, but I had never handled the topic of death well. Especially that of those dear to me.

Still lying supine on the blanket, I put out my hands and opened the front of Cole's shirt wider, exposing his broad, chiseled chest and abdomen as he hovered above me with a thoughtful appearance, supporting himself with his hands on either side of my trunk.

Running my fingertips lightly over his olive skin from his collarbone to his navel, sending a wave of goose bumps across his powerfully-built upper body, I noted the multiple lighter marks scattered here and there. "Have all of these scars, and the ones on your back and arms, come from battle?"

Taking a quick look down at his uncovered torso, he shrugged as if bored. "Eh, some of them have. But a few I got during training, and others from the adventuring and traveling I did before I met Wu. Some of it was kinda risky and stupid."

Lifting his chin, Cole pointed out a nearly two-inch scar under it. "Like, I got this when I made a poor choice of handholds scaling a sheer mountain face and apparently thought I could stop my slide with my jaw. Another scar just above my right knee was from the same climb."

Holding my gaze, he removed my hand from his abdomen and placed it on the side of his face, pressing my palm to his cheek as he spoke.

"I know what you're thinking, and I want you to quit dwelling on it. Sure, I make plans all the time for anything and everything, but we can't sit and worry about every horrible thing that may happen. All we can do is seize the day, hope and pray that all goes well, our plans all work out, and good will prevail." He ended with a small grin.

"How can you be so dismissive about this?" I asked with an edge to my voice, sitting up as I did so, and causing him to move to sit beside me with his shirt still open to his waist.

Shrugging, he pursed his lips. "I don't know. I guess because I've done so many life-threatening things over the last few years, nothing scares me." Dipping his head, he included, "Except the thought of something happening to you."

With a hand to my upper abdomen, I examined the blanket under us, making a face as unspeakable thoughts clamored for a foothold in my mind. "The thought of anything happening to _you_ makes me absolutely _sick._ I don't think I could _live_ without—"

He grabbed my chin suddenly, rendering me speechless a moment, and held it so I would look directly at him. His eyes on mine were unwavering, his voice adamant. "_Never_ say that! If anything ever happens to me, _never_ give up. _Ever._ There's so much in Ninjago that's _more important_ than I am."

On the verge of crumpling, I fought back my tears and shook my head in his hold in denial of his statement, whispering, "There is _no one_ who is more important to me."

The intrepid ninja leader's features softened as something like torment flashed in his eyes. Knowing that I was in dire need of TLC, my dark-haired, considerate angel gathered me in his arms, and lifted me from the blanket onto his lap. Holding me tenderly while I clung to him and pushed my face against his warm, tanned neck, he tilted his head to rest on mine as he gently rocked us back and forth.

With my eyes closed, I breathed in his comforting, masculine scent and pulled my arms tightly around his hard back, trying my best to empty my mind of all thoughts of any harm coming to my cherished Cole and to appreciate what I had now. _I just got him. Please, Lord, let me keep him. _

We stayed like that for a long while in silence before he made an attempt at sounding lighthearted, saying, "Besides, nothing's going to happen to me any time soon. I have a boy to father when all this mess is done, remember?"

I sniffed loudly at his comment and heard his stomach rumble back at me. He chortled. "Come on. Besides seizing the day—and you—I'm really ready to seize the food."

After placing a kiss on his neck, I started to slide from his lap, but he shook his head and kept me there with one arm while he opened the basket with the other and began to remove its contents. I happily stayed where I was and helped him from my privileged seat.

"Okay, let's see…It's not four-star-restaurant rated, but I think it'll be nice for our little picnic here, _if_ I do say so myself." Chef Montanaro placed our plates and the food containers on the blanket, and, with my assistance, began opening everything.

"We have a baked brie, bruschetta, strawberries and black grapes sweetened with vanilla yogurt, roasted chicken breast, and…" He uncovered the last container with a flourish, "…the _piece de resistance_—chocolate torte for dessert." I applauded his culinary efforts, especially the torte.

Reaching into the nearly-empty basket, he withdrew a small, glass decanter filled with a clear, golden liquid, holding it up and peering at it in confusion. "Um, I don't think this is the tea I had packed."

Taking it from him, I removed the stopper and sniffed the top of the decanter, giving my opinion, "Smells like a white wine, a riesling, maybe?"

Cole checked the basket again. "Why in the world would Zane swap out the tea?" I was busy pouring a glass while he investigated. He looked at me doubtfully. "Uh, we're probably safer skipping that. We don't need anything lowering our inhibitions…"

"Actually, it should go well with the brie and torte." My eyes smiled at him over the rim of the glass as I sipped the semi-sweet beverage.

"Let me rephrase that." Angling an eyebrow with an uneasy air, he pointed a finger to the middle of my chest. "_You_ are probably safer if _I_ skip that."

"Not to quibble, but it's probably the other way around. And it's the only thing in the basket to drink, isn't it?" I held up the glass like I was making a toast.

His silence answered my question. Taking the glass I offered, he muttered only, "Dammit, Zane."

XXXXX

My mood on the walk back to the _Bounty_ at dusk was not as cheery and upbeat as it had been on the way to the glade, but I wasn't letting it ruin my date with my earth ninja. Cole tried to act like he was fine, too, but I could tell from the heavier feeling of his element that our talk about our uncertain future wasn't sitting well with him, either. That, or it could also have been the glass of wine.

With Cole's arm around my shoulders, our conversation had mostly been about the trip we would be taking the next day. When the ship came into sight, we had been quiet for a minute, before he had taken a preliminary breath, and popped up tentatively with, "Before Kai brings this up, Sofiya kinda kissed me in the coffee shop yesterday."

I shut down in the pine-straw-covered trail, casting a disbelieving look up at him as he was forced to stop suddenly beside me. "Ex-_cuse_ me? She _what,_ now?! She didn't mention _that_ when I talked to her a few hours ago!"

He lifted his shoulder with a wince, perhaps wishing he had thought twice and kept his mouth shut about this subject. "Probably because she didn't mean anything by it! She did it in front of Zane to get the waitress to back off of me—"

I know my distressed face was a neon sign displaying my insecurities. My gorgeous, lithe, ethereal friend had kissed Cole before I had…"In front of Zane? Why did you _let_ her?!" That was not exactly fair of me ask, and I got my just desserts.

He hit the mark with a tilted eyebrow. "You let Kai kiss _you_." _Oh, no, he __**didn't**_…I narrowed my eyes warningly at him. He got the hint pretty quickly that that remark was gonna send this discussion in a bad direction, and hastily changed his course. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bring that up again. But I didn't exactly _let_ her. She really surprised me with it."

Fair enough. "Did you…enjoy it…with her?" I bit my lip a little while I waited for his answer. _Pleasesay'no'pleasepleaseplease_

With a sigh, he bent to drop the picnic basket and his scythe on the trail, straightening to take my face in both hands, saying soothingly, "I was wishing she was you the whole time…when I wasn't worried about being frozen into a popsicle." He punctuated that with a sexy little grin and a kiss on my nose.

Well, that was one thing off my mind, but…I grabbed his wrists and pulled them down, losing my insecurity and feeling anger and jealousy bubbling up. "And that _blonde_ _**slut**__?!_ What was she _doing _to you?!"

"Oh, now, you don't know that she's a _slut_," Cole countered with a furrowed brow and a hand on his hip. "She seems like a very nice young lady—"

I thought my eyes were going to pop from my head_. "WHAT?!"_ _Whose shrill voice was __**that**__?_

He swiftly put up both hands in a gesture of defense, taking a cautious step back from me and laughing, "I'm joking! I'm joking! She's a _rabid _slut!"

Crossing my arms grumpily, I turned away from him. "Hmmph! Apparently she didn't learn anything from me when we were there last…" _I'll just have to be less subtle next time…_

From behind me, he sounded curious. "What would she have learned from you? I don't remember you talking to her."

My face lost its surly look, replacing it with one of guilt. "Um…nothing?" _Damn! I just gave myself away._

"Arwyn…" With his hands on my shoulders, he turned me to face him again.

I tried to play it down. "Well, I may have given her a little 'hot hand'."

"You _burned_ her?!" He seemed a bit shocked at my vindictiveness.

"Geez! It wasn't _that _big a deal! I didn't _burn_ her, per se, I just heated a plate…"

"And?"

"…And handed it to her. No big deal."

He slid his hand over his forehead and through his raven hair. "Arwyn, really…?"

Putting my hands on my hips, I delivered my closing argument for the defense. "Hey, when a girl's got such a smokin'-hot guy that she sometimes feels she needs to stop, drop, and roll around him, she anticipates having to beat other women back with a stick and does what she's _got to do_."

Even in the gathering dusk, I could tell that the change of color in his face was a blush when he quirked his mouth and an arm stole around my waist to tug me to him. Casting a self-conscious glance over his shoulder toward the vessel hovering above the Sea of Sand, Cole stepped off of the trail, taking me with him, putting at least one tree between us and any observer on the _Bounty_.

Bowing his head, with his lips lightly stroking mine, he spoke softly, enticingly, his warm breath tickling my skin. "For the record, I didn't kiss Sofiya back, I didn't want the waitress' attention, and I love you utterly, my heart."

I would have said 'I love you, too', but I found that I couldn't say anything. I was too busy trying to match the intensity of the sweet magic his mouth and hands were working on me to be able to speak. But he knew. I was telling him anyway. Just not in so many words.

****Cole's POV **

Holy… being with Arwyn in the forest was the most amazing time I've spent with her so far! It was just like in my dreams! Except that Rocky wasn't there. And we were wearing too much clothing…

It was a lot like the night before, right after we had confessed our love for each other. I couldn't keep my hands off of her, and she responded in kind, letting me know how much I meant to her.

Giving her the earrings was a little scary, since she started crying right away. I wasn't expecting her to do that. All I could think of was when I had asked the jeweler if I would be able to return them if she hated me. Thank goodness that wasn't the case!

Telling her about our future baby was great, too. Most couples pretty much hope that they'll have children eventually, but to know that there'll be one for sure, and what he'll look like, and that your relationship is actually gonna progress to that…It's just an awesome feeling.

As for the interruption from the guys, I was just glad we weren't really up to anything more when it happened. I also got to wondering how long that damned bird had been perched somewhere watching us…

Otherwise, like I said, everything was great until she brought up the chance of one of us dying before we can even get very far into a life together. How was I supposed to answer that? I can't tell her nothing's ever gonna happen, because anything _can _happenat any time with our work.

All I can do is try to keep us both positive and optimistic and hold her and cherish her every moment I can. And try not to look too far into the future, although I could already see us as an elderly couple with our children and grandchildren like olive plants around our table…

Hoo, I was getting ahead of myself! Maybe it was the little glass of riesling. Dammit, Zane.

I also blamed the wine for making me chatty and nearly getting my ass in a really tight crack by telling her about Sofiya kissing me. I only did it because I thought it might be better if I said something first since I knew the next time Kai got pissed at me about something he'd probably blab it. I still don't know how I defused the situation and came out clean.

Anyway, when we finally made it back onto the _Bounty_, we found that Zane and Kai had absconded to Ninjago City, Jay and Nya had disappeared somewhere on the ship, Sensei was segregated in his quarters, and Lloyd was left to his own devices. That was not always good.

Deciding that finding a quiet place to be alone might tempt us too much at that time, and feeling badly for Lloyd, who seemed lonely, we spent the rest of the evening in the game room with him, playing board games and watching an animated movie on the family-oriented channel until we all fell asleep.

Sometime during the night I woke, stretched out on the couch with my back to the cushions, one leg over the back of the couch, and my arm around Arwyn's waist as she was spooned up against me.

I opened my eyes just a crack when Kai's hushed voice came from just above my head, "You do know you have a bed that Sensei wouldn't mind you sleeping in." _Smart-ass_.

Readjusting my position a little behind her, I answered, "Arwyn needs holdin', and I mean to do it. I'm not going anywhere." She never moved in front of me.

"Uh huh. I see that. Suit yourself," Kai responded with resignation. The fire ninja walked up to Lloyd's beanbag in the light of the television and gave the stuffed seat a kick. "Lloyd! Get up, and come sleep in the bunkroom. You don't need to be in the line of fire later."

My blonde sidekick squirmed on his cushion, raising his head just enough to check on Arwyn and me. Dropping his head back down, he mumbled, "I'm staying if Cole's staying."

"Well, fine. Why don't I just rent out _both_ your spots in the bunkroom?" He stopped in the doorway on his way out. "You've been warned, big guy. I don't want to hear it if the golden tornado tears through here in the morning."

_Bring it on_. Lifting my arm above the back of the couch, I waved him off to bed.

Arwyn cuddled up nearer to me, and I returned my arm to its proper place around her waist, adjusting on the couch so we fit better together. "I could seriously get used to this quickly," I rumbled sleepily behind her, smiling in the dark and pressing a kiss on her hair.

"I already have, my heart," she admitted, getting a squeeze from me.

Lloyd's breathing was soon slow and steady again from the direction of the beanbag as I started to drift off while thinking what a nice little family we already had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

MIYAGI

We had arrived just outside of the little town of Miyagi at about mid-morning, dispelling the Spinjitzu vehicles less than a tenth of a mile from Arwyn's childhood home so as not to make an entrance that would startle her parents.

Zane, Arwyn, and I were in full uniform—gi and armor, leg and arm wraps, tabi boots, scabbards, and weapons—having removed only our hooded helmets and masks. She had figured that she'd may as well not try to hide anything anymore, except the vehicles—for now.

Lloyd was beside us, in a green shirt and black pants with sneakers, and we each carried an overnight bag as we strolled the last leg of the journey to her parents' farm. Actually, only three of us were walking on the dirt-and-gravel lane. Lloyd was busy annoying me a little by running circles around us and kicking up dust and rocks on the extra-long driveway to the little cottage.

I could see the gleam in Arwyn's eyes and the glow on her face when she looked down the road to her parents' home, surrounded by oaks with low-hanging branches and fruit-laden mulberry trees. It was good to know she was glad to be there. I doubted I was gonna be looking the same way when we got into Castor tomorrow.

"Really, I can handle telling my parents alone if you three don't mind hanging out on the porch for a while," Arwyn offered as we approached the front steps. Not knowing what I was in for with her father, it was really tempting, but…

I had to nix that. "Nope. We're your back-up, even with this." I gave her an encouraging kiss on the cheek, eliciting a grateful smile in return.

Zane also pledged his support just before the front door opened and her mother, a petite, short-haired brunette of about fifty-five, who had seen many years of outdoor work, emerged onto the porch and descended the steps. "Arwyn! Honey! I didn't hear you drive up. How did you get here?"

Without delay, Arwyn covered the distance between her and Sora, greeting her with a kiss and a hug. "Uh, we got dropped off."

Putting Arwyn at arm's-length, Sora surveyed her taller daughter. "Goodness, sweetie, you've lost so much weight! You're too thin! And what _is_ this outfit all about?" Looking up at Zane and me, she made out that we were dressed similarly. Then she caught sight of all of the weapons.

Her smile dissolved, and her mouth opened a little with the beginnings of a question, but Arwyn hurriedly interrupted her. "Where's Daddy?" Her mother didn't have a chance to answer.

Our attention was suddenly diverted to the left-hand corner of the cottage, around which strode a tanned, brown-haired, twenty-something male wearing soiled work clothes, carrying a gleaming machete in one hand and a sickle in the other. Following closely behind him was another man, wiry, bronzed, greying, and sixtyish, of a medium height and build, with a shovel and a hoe.

Ever on the alert, Zane and I snapped into defensive positions between Arwyn and the interlopers. Pulling my scythe from my back sheath with one effortless motion, I brandished it in front of me while Zane smoothly moved to stand at my elbow, a shuriken in each hand.

The younger male, upon seeing us, halted without a word where he stood, swiftly raising the machete in his right hand over his head like a katana. The sickle in his left hand he held out toward us threateningly.

The older man, nearly plowing into the first, stopped in irritation, then looked up to see Zane and me on the defense.

Dropping the hoe, he sidestepped the machete-wielder and held the shovel up at us with both hands, its sharpened edge flashing in the morning sunlight, yelling, "What the _hell _is going on here?!" Too late, I recognized him from Arwyn's photos.

"Daddy!" she sounded from behind me. Putting her hands between Zane and me, Arwyn pushed us apart saying, "Heel, boys!"

Stepping from between us, she walked quickly to her father, returning his kiss and hug after he and the samurai-wannabe had placed their tools on the ground. Zane and I relaxed our stances, but held onto our weapons.

He smiled joyfully at his only daughter. "Well, punkin, I didn't know you had gotten here already!" My hackles had gone down for a moment, but came right back up when I turned my attention to the younger man just behind him.

A little shorter than I was, with chiseled features and an athletic build, I guess he could be considered attractive by some. To me, he was a ravenous wolf, covetously salivating over Arwyn.

Through narrowed eyes, with a set jaw, I watched him shamelessly checking out my black-haired Beauty until Ryo turned toward him. _You can look all you want, but don't get any ideas… I already got your number, jerkwad._

Zane's elbow nudged me sharply, but when I gave him a slanting glance, all I got was his profile as he stared straight ahead. _What pheromone did he pick up __**this**__ time?_

Ryo began introductions. "You remember Remy, don't you, Arwyn? He's been helping me out on the farm for about a month now."

The lupine twit walked up closer to the pair, declining to take Arwyn's hand due to his being work-stained, instead, touching his fingertips to his brow as though he was tipping a hat, then bowing slightly. "Your father's been telling me everything you've been up to. I've been looking forward to seeing you again." His smile was pearly-white.

'_**Again'**__? _

I noticed Arwyn's quick look at me. "Remy and I were classmates all through high school."

He laughed a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You have always been so smart and pretty! It's been a few years since I saw you last, but you haven't changed." Arwyn blushed and turned the back of her head to me.

Ryo chimed in, "He was a good student and ball player, too. I don't know why you never dated him."

Recovering, Arwyn shrugged indifferently. "He never asked."

Remy gave another brief laugh, defending himself, "I was too shy. Then you were with Keiji."

_Yeah, yeah, yeah_. _You snooze, you lose, dud. Get over it._

Apparently he wouldn't. Shuffling a bit, he looked hopeful, lowering his voice like he thought we wouldn't hear him. "But, now that I hear he's out of the picture, maybe I could take you to supper tonight?"

_Ex__**-cuse **__me?! A little ballsy in front of everybody, aren't we?_ I'm not sure what was showing on my face at that moment, but I felt Zane's hand grasping my sleeve at the elbow.

Grimacing the tiniest bit, Arwyn tilted her head somewhat. "Thanks, but, I actually have a boyfriend." Finally turning to me, she motioned, "Remy, Momma, Daddy, this is Cole, a friend of mine."

Bowing, I greeted them. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Saito." _You, Remy, not so much…_

"We've just started dating, but we've known each other for several weeks. And these are two more of my friends, Zane and Lloyd."

From where he'd been standing beside me, Lloyd straightened and probably thought he was going to start expounding on his family tree, "Well, actually I'm her—," but he was interrupted by a black-gloved hand sliding over his mouth. Zane stood behind him, nodding his greetings and smiling inexplicably at all observers with no explanation.

Remy looked like he'd just crashed and burned. "Oh…well…" Taking a couple of long steps up to me, he stuck out his hand for a shake with a determined show of his teeth that was meant to be a smile. "Nice to meet you, Cole. Hmm…strong grip you have there."

I shook his hand, acting as cool as my ice-maker brother. "Really? Doesn't seem to bother anyone else." I was satisfied that he'd gotten the hint.

Holding my gaze a little longer than necessary, Remy just nodded, then turned to his employer and his former classmate who was rolling her eyes at me. "Well, Arwyn, maybe I can catch you between boyfriends next time."

I thought about catching him between his shoulders and his head for that, but instead I faked a cough into my fist that sounded a lot like 'loser'.

"Look me up later, if so." The ass winked at Arwyn, who stiffly smiled back, then bowed slightly to Ryo. "Mr. Saito, begging your pardon, but I'll just start that next job you wanted to do. Nice meeting all of you." He stooped to pick up all of the tools and walked away, giving me the eye one last time as I watched him leave.

_Good riddance_. With his exit, Zane relaxed more next to me.

Turning to me, Arwyn's father stuck out a grimy hand with a polite smile. "Ryo." He gave me the once-over. "Odd uniform for a self-defense school. What kind of field work can you possibly do with that shiny, gilded scythe, son?"

Taking his hand, I shook it more carefully than I had gripped Remy's, admitting, "I…don't use it in quite the same way you would, sir." His look was filled with skepticism as he greeted Zane with a handshake, too.

Sora had been quiet through the whole exchange, watching the antler-clashing observantly from the porch steps. Smiling, she said, "Come in, everyone! I'm sure it was a long trip, and you're probably hungry and thirsty." Addressing Lloyd, she asked, "How would you like some ice cream?"

He must've thought he'd died and gone to heaven. "I get to have ice cream in the _morning?!_"

Arwyn laughed as she tucked her hair behind her ears and met her mother on the porch. "You're going to ruin him in a day, Momma."

Sora waved it away. "So it's one meal." Pausing, she squinted at Arwyn's ears. "Those are beautiful earrings, sweetie! They look expensive."

Arwyn proudly touched one earlobe with a fingertip. "Thanks, Momma! They're a gift from Cole. Our birthstones, rubies and amethysts."

Ryo was following his wife and daughter into the home as I trailed immediately after him, Zane and Lloyd bringing up the rear. "I hope you didn't have to give anything for those." He sounded a little grumpy.

I was uncomfortable talking about money, since I didn't have much, but felt I needed to say something. "Well, they weren't _free_, Mr. Saito, but I bought—"

He stopped short in the doorway and turned to fix me with a piercing eye, saying pointedly, "I was talking to Arwyn."

My brows came up as I was not sure how to reply to that. Sora took care of it. "Ryo! That was _**not**_ necessary!" Yikes. I did not have a good feeling about this.

Once Lloyd had been settled on the couch between Arwyn and me with a bowl full of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup and crushed cookies, I tried to relax as she chit-chatted with her parents who sat in armchairs across from us. Zane had chosen a spot out of the way by the window through which to keep an eye on any traffic.

I knew things were about to hit the fan when Ryo sat back and inquired, "So, how is the self-defense-training course going? When are you going back to the clinic? You know you can't be gone forever. I'm surprised your doctor friend even let you off this long."

Arwyn fidgeted on her end of the couch, a flush coming over her features. "Uh…I have a few things I need to tell you, and I don't want you to get upset that I'm doing this, 'cause it's for the greater good." With that preface, she proceeded to tell them all the basics, skipping over the battle on the _Bounty_.

Sora and Ryo listened silently to her oration, holding their questions and comments, but looking at each other and their daughter with concern and some confusion. When she finished, Ryo's first question was biting. "You've been _lying_ to us?"

Arwyn cringed, "Well, just a _little_." She illustrated with a short distance held between fingertips in front of her face. "More like _omissions_ than anything else… And only to keep you from worrying too much!"

His next accusatory question was aimed at Zane and me with a touch of hostility. "You're training our little girl to be an _assassin?!"_

Zane set his mouth in a straight line and turned his face to the window with a lift of his brows. This was not gonna be good. "We—" I got interrupted.

"You've always been such a good girl!" Sora was on the verge of tears, clutching her hands into fists in her lap while she spoke to Arwyn. "You had a great job, a nice place to live, a doctor who wanted to date you…Why are you living in a _cult_ on a pirate ship with a group of _men_?! And why wouldn't they let you come home earlier?"

Ryo stood as his voice got louder, bringing me to my feet at the same time. "What are they making you _do_ in this cult? Are they forcing you to do anything against your will? You're not _pregnant_, are you?!"

Exhaling sharply, Arwyn stood from the couch abreast of me. "Daddy, _nothing_ like that is going on…"

Lifting a hand palm-up in a pleading gesture, I tried to help, "With all due respect, Mr. and Mrs. Saito, we're _not_ a cult—"

"That's what _everyone_ in a cult says now, _isn't_ it?!" Ryo had rapidly crossed the living room floor and was poking me irately in the chest between my leather vest plates with a tanned and calloused finger. I gritted my teeth. Sensei was the only other man who could get away with doing that to me.

Watchful as always, Zane had risen from his chair by the window in anticipation of intervening. _Thanks, bro, but I'm not Kai_.

"But you _are_ assassins and spies, _aren't_ you?! That's what a ninja _is!_ What are you bunch of men doing to my daughter?!" Ryo stood a hair taller than Arwyn, but was about half a foot shorter than I. Standing so closely to me, the older man was forcing me to look down on him, literally and figuratively.

Not wanting to incense him any further, I took a step back and lowered myself to the couch, hoping my submissive act would appease him in his territory. Like Jay, I had seen a few wildlife documentaries.

Looking up at him, I tried again. "We're not assassins and spies. Our mission is much more than that…"

Lloyd decided the discussion needed his input. "And she's not with a _bunch_ of men, just five, and Nya and _me_!"

Out of the corner of my mouth, I warned, "Lloyd, that may not be helping…"

It wasn't. "Only two women and five men…" Ryo tore his eyes away from mine to point at Arwyn sternly. "You're not leaving this house." Turning his glare back on me and Zane, he added without reservation, "But _you_ can."

Arwyn's irritation was beginning to show with a stamp of her foot and clenching of her fists. "Daddy, it's not _like_ that!"

From my seat on the couch, I fixed my gaze on his and calmly answered his invitation to leave. "I'm sorry, Mr. Saito, but I can't do that." Zane took his seat once again as I symbolically held my ground.

Ryo stood in front of me, somewhat stunned that I would refuse. "_What?_" No sound came from Arwyn, and my eyes didn't waver from her father's.

"I won't leave her." The truth and determination in my voice was clearly evident, just in case he didn't see it in my face.

I suppose he hadn't thought I would stand up to him. "You _dare_…?"

Arwyn was still trying to offer explanations for everything. "It's because of the _Green Ninja_ thing!"

"It's that and the fact that I love her. I won't leave her," I repeated.

Ryo's angry expression didn't yield in the least as we kept up our staring contest. "If I throw you out—!" His threat was tempered by Sora's sharp admonishment. "Ryo!"

_You and what army?_ I easily kept my composure. "I'd ask that you don't try that, sir."

"Daddy, _please_—!" Arwyn placed a hand on his arm, causing me to motion with mine for her to back down, but she ignored it. Not surprising. "_This _is why I didn't tell you both sooner. I _expected_ you to get upset and be worried about me. But remember I just _told _you our sensei is my biological father who brought me to you…"

Lloyd picked a helluva time to enlighten them on the question of Arwyn's paternity. "Actually, he's probably her uncle, 'cause my dad, Lord Garmadon, is probably her bio father, so I'm her brother!"

"Lloyd…," I hissed at him.

Sora didn't miss a thing. Her face was aghast. "The man you're supposed to fight might be your _bio father_?!"

"He's _not_ my bio father! Well, maybe." Growing more frustrated, Arwyn brought her hand to her temple. "It's a longer story for a later time!"

Zane stood and headed toward the front door, motioning to our little honorary ninja. "Lloyd, maybe we should take your ice cream out onto the porch."

Unflustered by the goings-on, Lloyd showed Zane his empty bowl. "But I'm done with it."

"Then we'll just take _you_ out," my helpful brother responded, taking the boy by the arm and marching him out of the house.

Rotating away from me, Ryo paced a couple of times back and forth across the living area before inquiring in exasperation, "How could you just leave everything, throw everything you had away, when you don't even know these people, and you know nothing about what they do?!"

Drawing in a calming breath, Arwyn rested her hand on my shoulder, which I promptly covered with my own. "Because they showed me without a doubt what _**I **_was and what _**I**_ could do. I knew _nothing_ about myself, other than what you were able to tell me. I knew nothing about Spinjitzu, but I found that I'm the granddaughter of the First Spinjitzu Master, the creator of Ninjago."

Walking over to stand between Ryo and Sora, she cupped her hands and held them apart waist-high in front of her. "I never knew I had this in me." A six-inch flame blazed up from the palm of her left hand, while a soft-ball-sized orb of blue ice grew in the right. Her parents gasped and drew back at the sight of the fire.

She let them get the full effects for several seconds, then replaced the fire with electrical sparks and easily crushed the ice ball to snow in her fist. Watching their reactions, she stated, "I have control of four major elements, and I'm learning to handle another awesome power from within me."

Allowing the electricity to dissipate, and dropping the snow into Lloyd's ice cream bowl, Arwyn headed for the front door, grabbing my scythe from where it leaned on the doorjamb. "And watch this!" Hurling it past Lloyd and Zane and into the front yard, she transformed it into the Tread Assault.

Gesturing to the Spinjitzu vehicle, she exclaimed, "This is what brought us here. This is what I can do." The tiny sparks of lightning appeared again in her hand. "This is what I am. It's what's in me." Pointing to me where I sat back on the sofa with my arms crossed over my chest, she concluded, "They brought it out."

I gave her a supportive grin and a thumbs-up. _Great visuals for the 'doubting Thomases'_.

When her sufficiently-shocked parents had caught their breath, her mom said shakily, "S-so you have these marvelous powers, but h-how do you know they're telling the truth about needing you to fight this…this…evil?"

Walking to her mother, Arwyn put her hands on her shoulders, saying gently, "Momma…don't freak, okay? I've already had to fight once, a group of Serpentine, and I will have to again."

An indrawn breath whistled between Ryo's teeth as he frowned over at me. Sora covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders shook. As Arwyn embraced her, the older woman fearfully murmured, "You'll be killed."

Arwyn tried to reassure her, looking soberly over at me as she spoke, perhaps thinking back to our troubling conversation in the glade. "I'm well-protected. That's why I can't visit more often. I'm nearly constantly guarded by at least one of four powerful, vigilant, unrelenting bodyguards."

When Sora lifted her tear-stained face, Arwyn grinned, "But they let me go the bathroom alone!" Wiping the tears from her mother's cheeks, she continued, "I'll be okay, my guardians will be sure of that, but this is something I have to do. It's practically why I was born. It's truly been a major turning-point in my life."

Things had calmed down quite a bit after her demonstration. She and I sat with her parents for a Q & A session that helped them understand things a lot better, but they still feared greatly for her safety, which I totally understood. The whole time her dad was spazzin' I had tried to keep that in mind.

After a while, Arwyn and her mom had gone to the kitchen to see about finishing the lunch that had been cooking. That gave her father the opportunity to corral me for a moment before Lloyd and Zane barged back into the house.

The work-hardened farmer solemnly regarded me. "I suppose I have no choice but to relinquish responsibility for her safety and well-being to you and your team."

I held his gaze, simply nodding. I knew what was coming.

"Take care of my baby girl. Keep her from harm."

He wasn't asking anything of me that I didn't already intend to do. "To my last breath."

At least I hadn't been thrown out of his house.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought! In other words, REVIEW, PLEASE! XP**


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